The ups and downs, and ups of life
Stories of Wilberforce Road people No.3 (continued)
These stories are of past residents who lived in the houses in Wilberforce Road - Victorian memories that are now threatened with demolition.
No. 3 Wilberforce Road in the early 1880s had been a school for young ladies, and a boarding house (at the same time). By 1891, the proprietor, Eleanor Clark had moved on, and was living on a widow's annuity in Camberwell.
These stories are of past residents who lived in the houses in Wilberforce Road - Victorian memories that are now threatened with demolition.
No. 3 Wilberforce Road in the early 1880s had been a school for young ladies, and a boarding house (at the same time). By 1891, the proprietor, Eleanor Clark had moved on, and was living on a widow's annuity in Camberwell.
The
new residents at No.3 apparently continued to use it for educational
purposes. The head of the household in 1891 was Edouard Malvin, a French
national who earned a living as a "teacher of the French language". His
wife, Fanny, six years older than Edouard, described herself as a
"teacher in elementary school", and they had another teacher boarding
with them. The address was listed in Kelly's Directory in the 1890s (see
photo)
At that time, the Malvins must have been busy - in addition to running their school they had a small child of 18 months, called Maurice.And Edouard's 54 year old mother Leonide also lived with them. The upkeep of the family and the school required two servants, it seems. One, a local girl, Agnes Halsey, was only 15 years old.
Ten years later in 1901 the Malvin family are still living at No.3, and although Edouard and Fanny still list themselves as teachers, the school doesn't seem to be working - there is no additional teacher and some rooms are let out to a married couple, presumably to make up for lost income. As elementary education increasingly became rationalised and standardised in the late nineteenth century, private institutions like those that had occupied No.3 became redundant.
For some reason things began to go wrong for Edouard in 1902. In June of that year he was admitted to the newly opened West Ham Lunatic Asylum. (see photo of the register for 1902). His stay was not long - he was discharged in December, as having 'recovered'. It's impossible to know what unfortunate circumstance affected Edouard's health at that time, and to know whether it was completely resolved.
Edouard (now having Anglicized his name to Edward) evidently returned to No.3 and he was still there on the electoral register in 1907. Frustratingly, there's no sign of him in the 1911 census, nor in electoral rolls.
Sadly, the last mention of Edward I can find is in a list of wills from 1937: he died in Bexleyheath Asylum. Had his troubles returned, or was he simply suffering the effects of old age? I'm inclined to think it was the latter - he managed to leave £551 to his son, Maurice. That's the equivalent of about £35,000 today, so something must have gone well for him in the intervening years...
At that time, the Malvins must have been busy - in addition to running their school they had a small child of 18 months, called Maurice.And Edouard's 54 year old mother Leonide also lived with them. The upkeep of the family and the school required two servants, it seems. One, a local girl, Agnes Halsey, was only 15 years old.
Ten years later in 1901 the Malvin family are still living at No.3, and although Edouard and Fanny still list themselves as teachers, the school doesn't seem to be working - there is no additional teacher and some rooms are let out to a married couple, presumably to make up for lost income. As elementary education increasingly became rationalised and standardised in the late nineteenth century, private institutions like those that had occupied No.3 became redundant.
For some reason things began to go wrong for Edouard in 1902. In June of that year he was admitted to the newly opened West Ham Lunatic Asylum. (see photo of the register for 1902). His stay was not long - he was discharged in December, as having 'recovered'. It's impossible to know what unfortunate circumstance affected Edouard's health at that time, and to know whether it was completely resolved.
Edouard (now having Anglicized his name to Edward) evidently returned to No.3 and he was still there on the electoral register in 1907. Frustratingly, there's no sign of him in the 1911 census, nor in electoral rolls.
Sadly, the last mention of Edward I can find is in a list of wills from 1937: he died in Bexleyheath Asylum. Had his troubles returned, or was he simply suffering the effects of old age? I'm inclined to think it was the latter - he managed to leave £551 to his son, Maurice. That's the equivalent of about £35,000 today, so something must have gone well for him in the intervening years...
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