can anyone tell me anything about St Agatha's in sheffield? my mum was sent there in 1968 it was a mother and baby home. I have tried to find it on the internet but getting no joy it's as if the place never existed.

thanks Lilly xx

Got any more info on it such as what area it was in or places nearby?

http://www.hmc.gov.uk/nra/searches/SIdocs.asp?SIR=66990

http://web.ask.com/web?q=st+agatha%27s+mother+and+baby+home+in+sheffi eld+uk&o=0&qsrc=0

On this second link you'll have to scroll down to the web results section and if you look at the second entry 'database 8' it has some reference to a St Agatha's - there's also a contact link on the bottom of the page.

Hope this sheds some light on things.

thanks for replying tiffy. The second link u gave me does not bring up any results just jeeves search bar i have tried putting st agatha's in but no results that were useful. I think it was around the ecclesall road area as mum said she was sure ecclesall rd was at the bottom of the street!!!!!!!

thanks for helping xxx

So it does,

I merely typed - st agatha's mother and baby home, sheffield uk

have a try and see what that brings up

found the database 8 and found someone else who had their child adopted through st agatha's so i have sent her an email to see if she can shed any more light on it. thankyou for your help xx

No problem - glad to hear that it worked ok and that you've found something.

Good luck.

i have recieved email fom the lady and the address of st agathas is 22 bromsgrove road sheffield 10, now closed also it was run by the CofE diocese. Many thanks for your help without it i would not have been able to get the info i needed.

lilly

can anyone tell me where bromsgrove road is in sheffield?

lilly

Never heard of it, but there's a Broomgrove Road which runs between Eccllesall Road and Clarkehouse Road.

Broomgrove road

thankyou for your reply it could be broomgrove road I know eccllesall road was at the bottom of it. My mum had to stay there in 1968 it was a mother and baby home called st agatha's. If anyone has any information relating to this could you please let me know.

Thanks Lilly x

2 threads merged.

Hi Anyone know anything about st agatha's mother and baby home, sheffield uk
I was adopted from there in 1952 aug/sept time.Looking for any info to help research my past.

I don't know if this is relevant, but I looked in the 1925 directory. At 96 Andover Street was the "St Agatha Hostel: Sister Clubb, in charge".

thanks I don;t think I will have much luck here over 56yrs ago but I will try

If anyone knows any info on sister clubb or her family it would be great

Have you accessed your adoption records...?

Those adopted (England and Wales) before 12 November 1975 are respectfully required to see a nominated counsellor before they can be given access to their records. If you were adopted after 11 November 1975 you can choose whether or not you want to see a counsellor.

Applications, leaflets and more information can be obtained from:

The Office for National Statistics
The General Register Office
Adoptions Section
Trafalgar Road
Birkdale
Southport
PR8 2HH
England


Tuppie

I've just found my 1973 Kelly's Directory which gives another clue:

"St Agatha's Hostel (Sheffield Diocesan Moral Welfare Council) (Miss Affleck, supt.). 22 Broomgrove Road, 10"

It seems likely that the Cathedral and/or the Local Studies Library will have some more information.

Hiya, im a 17 year old student currently doing drama in my second year of A levels. My play is based in the 60's in a mother and baby home. I've got the facts but i was woundering if anyone would be willing to share their story with me so i can get into more depth in my play, any information would be greatlyfully recieved. Sincerely Rebecca, x

Even in the 60s no help was given to mother & baby on their own notice i did NOT say out of wedlock ,so a single to be come mum had to either go into a home &give up the baby prob'90% or the tough ones keep the baby lived a life of poverty on female scuz wages, the odd parent hid daughter away on holiday untill the father could die in the war or HORRIBLE car crash,and there be your story ,in truth a lot of the girls who kept their babys lived a very rough life

can anyone tell me anything about St Agatha's in sheffield? my mum was sent there in 1968 it was a mother and baby home. I have tried to find it on the internet but getting no joy it's as if the place never existed.

thanks Lilly xx

Hi my mother went in to st agathas in early 70s when she was having me.:)

r u still looking for info. i was there in 1970.

I was adopted but from a mother and baby home in leeds but it was a sheffield adoption agency that organised it.

I was adopted pre 1975 and had my counselling with social services in sheffield at redvers house. They arranged for me to access my original birth certificate and also helped me in searching for my birth mother which I finally did back in 1991. Social services also had archive records from the adoption agency stored at there premises.

It's worth a try asking them if they have any archive information relating to your adoption and St Agatha's.

St Agatha's Home for Mothers and Babies was part of the Sheffield Diocesan Moral Welfare Council. Records of the Diocese of Sheffield including the Moral Welfare Council (ref. DIOC/MWC) are held at Sheffield Archives.

Cheryl, Sheffield Archives

r u still looking for info. i was there in 1970.

i was there in october 1971 to feb 1972. did our paths cross?

i was there in late 1971 to early 1972. maybe i knew your mum?

threads merged

Hi am looking for information. i was born in a mother and babys home in 1973 in shefffield. My mother has deceased and I do not know my father only as John Lowe. I am trying to find him and wondered if there were any records or where I could obtain records for this mother and baby home (thats if it is where I was born) does anyone know of any others in sheffield??? Thanks. Cheryl

i was there in late 1971 to early 1972. maybe i knew your mum?

Did you know my mum Patricia lowe or johnson

chez 123 sorry i dont know the name. I left st agathas in feb 1972. i hope your search is successful. dont give up. x

chez 123 sorry i cant help. i left st agathas in feb 1972. i wish you well in your search. x

Hi am looking for information. i was born in a mother and babys home in 1973 in shefffield. My mother has deceased and I do not know my father only as John Lowe. I am trying to find him and wondered if there were any records or where I could obtain records for this mother and baby home (thats if it is where I was born) does anyone know of any others in sheffield??? Thanks. Cheryl

I am also looking for a John Lowe from Sheffield. Was he married to your mother?

Was St Agatha's a Catholic home for single mothers?

Do you know what year your father - John Lowe - was born?

Does anyone know what year St Agatha's closed?

Does anyone know of any other homes for single mothers operating in Sheffield in the 1960s - early 1970s?

If you use the search facility and type in Chapeltown Maternity Home you should be able to get it from the archives. I had my eldest son there and there was a young lady in there at the same time and I was told she was giving her son up for adoption. My heart went out to her because her baby kept bringing his milk back up and would need an operation. So they meanwhile kept her in there with him till he could have the op. I thought that was pretty cruel, she'd get even more bonded to him, and she probably had no choice in the matter about giving him up. So if you're looking for another place this would be the one, my unmarried Aunt also had a baby in there. This would be early 50s for my aunt and I had my son Sept 25th 1962 , I was lucky enough to be married though.

I am also looking for a John Lowe from Sheffield. Was he married to your mother?

A John lowe was married to my mother who is now deceased, I have not found him. Can I ask why you are looking for him too????

A John lowe was married to my mother who is now deceased, I have not found him. Can I ask why you are looking for him too????

Yes...I produce a TV show in New Zealand where we help to reunite missing family and friends. I am currently looking someone's father in the UK. The father's name is John Lowe and I think it may be the same John Lowe you are looking for as there are a few links. Can I ask you to email me so we can discuss this privately? sue.donald@eyeworks.tv or sdonaldnz@gmail.com.

Thanks
Sue

Was St Agatha's a Catholic home for single mothers?

I believe so yes

Do you know what year your father - John Lowe - was born?

I dont know when he was born unfortunetly ???

I am also looking for a John Lowe from Sheffield. Was he married to your mother?

My mother was called patricia Johnson before marriage to John lowe so could well be.

St Agatha's Home for Mothers and Babies was part of the Sheffield Diocesan Moral Welfare Council.
I was there from autumn 1964 to January 1965 and was made to give my baby up.
She has since found me but we were separated for more than 40 years.
We were put in the home when we were 7 months pregnant and then we had to look after our babies for 6 weeks. When they were 4 weeks old we had to dress them up and the prospective new parents came to look at them.
I gave birth to her at Chapeltown Maternity home and then went back to St Agatha's to look after her until she was 6 weeks old and then left her there one morning. It was heartbreaking.
As far as I know St Agatha's was the only unmarried mothers home in Sheffield.
All the adoptions went through Sheffield Adoption agency so if you were given up for adoption this would be the place to trace your birth mother.
I left my address there and a letter for my daughter and when I moved hpuse I updated my info there. That's how my daughter found me.

Magggie, your post moved me to tears, but I am so glad your daughter found you. it seems a lifetime ago when this barbaric situation took place. I remember watching a programme about a home in Ireland run by nuns, as recently as the 60's I cried all the way through it. They were monsters to those girls. I hope they all rot in hell.

Chez123 Mothers didn't give birth in St Agatha's. They were allocated a maternity hospital in the area and then went back to St Agatha's to look after the baby for 6 weeks.
There were usually sent to either the Hallamshire Maternity home in Chapeltown or Nether Edge Hospital in Sheffield.
Scousemouse, you are so right, it was barbaric and cruel. How can anyone take away a baby from it's mother but that's what happened. You were made to feel like a criminal.

Hi Maggie, you were there a while before me. I had my son there in February 1966, also at the Chapeltown Maternity Home. The home was not a Catholic home, just C of E. When I traced my son aged 30, he hadn't been told he was adopted, we have exchanged a few emails but that's all. He had bowel cancer about 3 years ago and I worry about him all the time. St Aggies wasn't as bad as some homes I have heard of, at least we girls stuck together. I was 16 when I went in there. I went there because I lived in Grimsby and it was thought best as no-one would know me. Weren't we made to feel ashamed of what we had done? I remember Miss Affleck but cannot remember her deputy.
It is nice to hear of others who were in there.
Barbara

Barbara how lovely to hear from a fellow inmate! Miss Binnington ( Binny )was the deputy and Nurse Henderson was there. I can remember Nurse Henderson having dark hair scraped back and she was so lovely. She taught us everything to do with looking after a new baby, winding them, changing nappies etc.
Her advice set me up for my future babies I went on to have.
I had a little girl 2 years later but we lost her when she was 2. Then I had a son and daughter who are both now in their 40's.
My adopted daughter is in touch with me regularly and we've met up several times and get on just like mum and daughter should which is really nice.
So sorry to hear about your son and the bowel cancer. Hope he's ok now?
no, it wasn't too bad in St Agatha's, I have a lot of happy memories from my stay in there and would have loved to have tracked some of the girls down.
Yes, LOL they did make us feel ashamed, the young girls of today wouldn't understand that attitude as it's the norm now with single mothers.
Nice to hear from you Barbara!

Hi again Maggie and thanks for supplying the names. Yes, the nurse was very good to us but I remember Binny as being a little strange at times. When you were there, was it rumoured that St Aggies was haunted? I remember having to return up that big staircase in the middle of the night on my own after making up a baby bottle and hearing distinct footsteps behind me but there was no-one there, I ran like the wind the rest of the way! I am so glad you have a happy reunion. I am a member of NPN and have just received the newsletter which has an article on M & B homes whhich made me think of St Agathas again. My son says he is OK but never tells me much and then I wait for months for a reply so it is not ideal but better than nothing.
Thanks so much for your reply!
Barbara

Sorry Maggie, I meant to say how awful that you lost your second daughter at such a young age. I had two more sons and you are right, I never forgot how to fold those nappies !
Barbara

It was very hard to lose my second child particularly as I'd 'lost' my first one.
Yes, I remember them saying it was haunted but didn't have any scary moments like you!
Binny could be a strange one sometimes and yes, I never forgot how to fold those nappies!
I remember being left in labour for almost 24 hours and no one coming near me, they treated you like a leper back then, all the midwives were old spinsters that seemed completely out of touch with reality.
I think it could be a 'boy' thing that your son hasn't really gone overboard with your contact. My adopted daughter had a brother who was also adopted and he has no wish to look for his birth mother even though his sister has found me.
it's such a shame.... but then again some of these adoptees wait until their adopted parents have passed away because they don't want to upset them.
It's awful that your sons family hadn't even told him he was adopted. It's such a shock when they do find out and they must feel like they've been living a lie.

When I became pregnant at 16 my mum took me to see a mother and baby home run by nuns, we were RC, one look was enough, on returning home my step dad asked what I thought, I told him it was horrible, so he said I didn't have to go then :cool:
My mum was horrified that I didn't want to 'go away' to hide the shame. Her first words on hearing I was pregnant were 'what will the neighbours say'.
Oh for the swinging sixties this was 1967. She also told our gp that I should have the baby aborted, he asked who was having the baby, when she replied me, he told her to leave the surgery.
Needless to say, my son is now almost 44 and he is now a dad himself. I married the boy next door 6 months pregnant, and we celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago.
I feel so sad for those girls who didn't have a good step dad like me, he was my saving grace

I was born and lived in Sheffield until 1975, the Catholic M&B home was somewhere around Burngreave I think or possibly Shiregreen

can anyone tell me anything about St Agatha's in sheffield? my mum was sent there in 1968 it was a mother and baby home. I have tried to find it on the internet but getting no joy it's as if the place never existed.

thanks Lilly xx
I can remember there was a sort of home for young girls with baby's up Totley somewhere near the cricketers pub near the old rifle range, a friend of mine made a girl pregnant she was there and he was always going there to see if he could see her, that was around the early 1970s time.