Sarah and
mary ann swan

Subject :            Sarah Ann Swan (b 1851 – d 1947)

Researcher :      Julie Cameron

Sarah Swan was born with a severe mental condition, but she became a mother at 16 leading to her and daughter Mary Ann spending the rest of their lives in care.

Sarah Swan was born on 14th February 1851 in Quarry Street, Guildford, the illegitimate daughter of Mary Ann Swan 1.  No father was named on the certificate, nor at the baptism on 9th March at St Mary’s Church 2.

The 1851 Census a month later showed baby Sarah and her 18-year-old mother Mary living at 39 Quarry Street with Mary’s widowed father Henry, a 59-year-old army sergeant, and six of her siblings 3.  

Just four weeks later, Mary married labourer George Jackson, also from Quarry Street, at St Mary’s Church, so it would seem likely that he was Sarah’s father 4, 5. 

Mary and George had 7 children after their marriage, with two dying in infancy 6-10.

In about 1857 the family moved just south of Guildford to Shalford, to be closer to the lime works where Mary Ann’s husband George was working.

The 1861 Census showed 10-year-old ‘Sarah Jackson’ to be a ‘scholar’. As well as her mother, father/stepfather and three siblings/half-siblings with her in Quarry Hill, Shalford, were Sarah’s grandfather Henry Swan plus an uncle and aunt 11.

A huge shock

On 13th April 1867, when she was only just 16, Sarah Swan gave birth to a daughter in the Guildford Union Workhouse, named Mary Ann 12.  

The Workhouse birth record noted in the blunt Victorian terminology that Sarah was ‘idiotic’ 13.  An ‘idiot’ was a category in those times for someone having the mental age of a child not beyond the age of two.   

No father was named on the birth certificate, and nothing has been found as to whether the father was ever identified.

Sarah had entered the Workhouse in 1867 a few weeks before Mary Ann’s birth, and both mother and child became permanent inmates 14.  The 1871 Census confirmed 21-year-old Sarah and daughter Mary Ann, 4, a scholar, in the Guildford Union Workhouse, with Sarah recorded as an ‘idiot from birth’ 15.  Sarah’s family continued to live in Quarry Hill, just over a mile (2km) away 16.

The situation remained the same at the time of the 1881 Census, but ten years later, the Census now listed both Sarah and Mary Ann as ‘imbeciles’, that is with a mental age not exceeding that of a normal child of about seven years old.  This is the first record found noting Mary Ann’s condition 17, 18. 

It was now 24 years since Sarah had been moved from her family, but they had remained close by 19.  Her mother Mary passed away in December 1891, while her probable father George had died six years earlier, both in the same parish of Stoke next Guildford, where the Workhouse was situated 20, 21.

Sarah moved to Brookwood Asylum

The 1901 Census showed Sarah and her daughter Mary Ann remained inmates of the Guildford Union Workhouse 22.

This changed just over four years later when Sarah was transferred to Brookwood Asylum in July 1905. She had spent more than 38 years in the Workhouse but had ‘lately become unmanageable, scratching and biting the inmates’ 23.  The Master of the Workhouse added that she was ‘in the habit of using vile and threatening language towards inmates of the Workhouse, that she bites her dress and knocks her head against the walls when she is in a temper or controlled in any way’. Sarah’s admission record added that she was ‘an imbecile from birth, unable to take care of herself, cannot converse with any sense, and gives unnatural answers to questions’.

Sarah’s younger sister Margaret was listed as her nearest relative, so despite Margaret having been only 5 years old when Sarah entered the Workhouse back in 1867, she was still in contact with Sarah nearly 40 years later.

Sarah moved again

By the following year, Brookwood had become so overcrowded that it was arranged in August 1906 for 20 male and 20 female inmates, including Sarah, to be moved to the Oxford County Asylum at Littlemore 24. 

She was returned to Brookwood in July 1907, with her condition noted as ‘in very much the same state as when she was sent to Oxford a year ago’.

Overcrowding at Brookwood was still an issue, however, so in June 1908, Sarah ‘was brought before the Committee as a suitable case for treatment at the Guildford Union and accordingly discharged’ 25.

Despite her issues with other Guildford Union Workhouse inmates just three years earlier, no further reports have been found concerning Sarah’s behaviour after her return.  She was now back in the same place as her daughter Mary Ann, 41.

Great War leads to disruption for both Sarah and Mary Ann

From the early 1910s, across the country the word ‘workhouse’ began to be dropped in favour of ‘institution’, in an attempt to remove its stigma 26.  Therefore, the Guildford Union Workhouse became the Guildford Poor Law Institution.  

Following the outbreak of the Great War, later known as World War 1, at the end of 1915 the Guildford Poor Law Institution buildings were requisitioned by the War Office and converted into a War Hospital for wounded soldiers.  As a result, inmates including Sarah and Mary Ann had to be moved to other locations for the duration of the war and beyond 27.

This was almost certainly the first time Mary Ann had lived anywhere other than the Guildford Union Workhouse/Poor Law Institution.

Guildford Poor Law Institution was taken back in mid-1920, and inmates temporarily housed elsewhere began to be returned.

Sarah and Mary Ann had not been kept together. In 1921 Sarah was an inmate of the Guardian’s Institution, Bletchingley, about 23 miles (37 km) east of Guildford, while Mary Ann was 11 miles (17km) west of Guildford in the Farnham Infirmary, Hale Road 28, 29 *.  

Sarah’s final years at the Guildford Poor Law Institution

Sarah did eventually return to Guildford.  After some 58 years of institutional life, she passed away there on 16th February 1926, two days after her 75th birthday 30.  Her death certificate gave the place of death as ‘Guildford House, Warren Road, Guildford’, and the informant as CH Bessant ‘occupier’. Mr Bessant was Master of the Guildford Poor Law Institution, but sensitivities meant that exact details of where Sarah had died had been disguised 31.

Mary Ann dies in Farnham Hospital

Sarah’s daughter Mary Ann probably did not return to Guildford, instead remaining in Farnham 32.  She suffered from health issues including bronchitis and emphysema before dying in Farnham on 18th April 1947, five days after she had turned 80, ending a life spent entirely in institutions 33.

Mary Ann’s death certificate put her address as ‘23 Hale Road’, and the informant as
‘L Banks, occupier’, a similar style to her mother’s death certificate.  In 1939, James and Lily Banks were the ‘Institution Master and Hospital Steward’ and ‘Institution Matron’ respectively at the Hale Road County Hospital, previously the site of the Farnham Union Workhouse, and still today the location of Farnham Hospital 34.

 

December 2019, updated March 2025
Editor: Mike Brock

*  Elizabeth Frogley, a fellow long-term inmate of the Guildford Union Workhouse with Sarah Swan, was also transferred to Bletchingley. 

Spike Lives is a Heritage project that chronicles the lives of inmates, staff and the Board of Guardians of the Guildford Union Workhouse at the time of the 1881 Census.  The Spike Heritage Museum in Guildford offers guided tours which present a unique opportunity to discover what life was like in the Casual/Vagrant ward of a Workhouse. More information can be found here

References

Note :  the source is Ancestry.co.uk unless otherwise specified, and names are spelt as found on official documents.

  1. Sarah Swan 14 Feb 1851 England &  Wales Civil Registration Birth Index; Guildford, Surrey; vol 4; page 216 Digital copy from GRO.gov.uk
  2. Sarah Swan 9 Mar 1851 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Guildford, St Mary; ref Gum/4/1-3
  3. Henry, James, Mary, William, Thomas, George, Elizabeth, Ellen, Sarah Swann 1851 England Census return for 39 Quarry Street, Guildford St Mary, Surrey; class HO107; piece 1594; folio 495; page 38
  4. George Jackson & Mary Ann Swan 4 May 1851 Marriage Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Guildford, St Mary; ref GUM/2/1-3
  5. George Jackson 1851 England Census return for Quarry Street, Guildford St Mary, Surrey; class HO107; piece 1594; folio 494; page 36
  6. George Jackson 14 Jul 1852 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Guildford, St Mary; ref Gum/4/1-3
  7. Henry & Mary Ann Jackson 31 Aug 1856 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Guildford, Holy Trinity; ref GUHT/4/1
    Henry Jackson Oct-Nov-Dec 1854 England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index; Guildford, Surrey; vol 2A; page 43
    Mary Ann Jackson Jul-Aug-Sep 1856 England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index; Guildford, Surrey; vol 2A; page 41
    Mary Jackson 30 Dec 1857 Burial Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shalford, St Mary the Virgin; ref SHD/4/2
  8. Amelia Jackson 10 Apr 1859 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shalford, St Mary the Virgin; ref SHD/3/2
    Amelia Jackson 14 May 1859 Burial Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shalford, St Mary the Virgin; ref SHD/4/2
  9. William Jackson 8 Jul 1860 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shalford, St Mary the Virgin; ref SHD/3/2
  10. John & Margaret Jackson 9 Jul 1865 Baptism Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Shalford, St Mary the Virgin; ref SHD/3/2
    Margaret Jackson Jul-Aug-Sep 1856 England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index; Hambledon, Surrey; vol 2A; page 110
    John Jackson Apr-May-Jun 1865 England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index; Hambledon, Surrey; vol 2A; page 117
  11. George, Mary, Sarah, George, Henry, William Jackson; Henry, George, Ellen Swan 1861 England Census return for Quarry Hill, Shalford, Hambledon, Surrey; class RG9; piece 438; folio 151; page 9
  12. Mary Ann Swan 13 Apr 1867 Guildford Union Workhouse Births; ref SHC BG6/37/1 Available at Surrey History Centre, Woking SurreyCC.gov.uk
    Mary Ann Swan 13 Apr 1867 England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index; Guildford, Surrey; vol 2A; page 57 Digital copy from GRO.gov.uk
  13. The Language of Madness: Understanding Terminology Restoring Perspective, Life and Treatment at the London Asylum, project of the University of Western Ontario, Canada.   uwo.ca/archives/virtualexhibits/londonasylum/terminology
    The Clinical History of ‘Moron’, ‘Idiot’, and ‘Imbecile’ The words have a less-than-savory past.  Word history.  Merriam-Webster Dictionary  Merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/moron-idiot-imbecile-offensive-history.
    Social Stigma, 19th Century Insanity Register of Qualified Genealogists blog Qualifiedgenealogists.org/RQGNews/blog/insanity
  14. Sarah Swan, Mary Ann Swan 1867 Lady Day (half year ending 23 March 1867) – 1871 Michaelmas (half year ending 29 September 1872) Guildford Union Poor Law Half-Yearly Accounts 1864-71; ref SHC BG6/33/1 Available at Surrey History Centre, Woking SurreyCC.gov.uk
  15. Sarah, Mary Ann Swan 1871 England Census return for Guildford Union Workhouse, Stoke next Guildford, Surrey; class RG10; piece 813; folio 80; pages 5&6
  16. George, Maryann, George, Henry, William, Margaret, John Jackson 1871 England Census return for Quarry Hill, Guildford St Mary, Surrey; class RG10; piece 812; folio 13; page 18
  17. Sarah, Mary Ann Swan 1881 England Census return for Guildford Union Workhouse, Stoke next Guildford, Surrey; class RG11; piece 778; folio 92; page 5
  18. Sarah, Mary Ann Swan 1891 England Census return for Guildford Union Workhouse, Stoke next Guildford, Surrey; class RG12; piece 560; folio 203; page 10
  19. George, Mary, William, Margaret Jackson 1881 England Census return for Cookes Passage, Stoke next Guildford, Surrey; class RG11; piece 776; folio 50; page 19
    William, Margaret, Harry May; Mary, William Jackson 1891 England Census return for 26 Drummond Rd, Stoke next Guildford, Surrey; class RG12; piece 559; folio 100; page 35
    Margaret Jackson & William May 5 Jul 1885 Marriage Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Stoke next Guildford, St John the Evangelist; ref Stk/2/7
  20. Mary Ann Jackson 12 Dec 1891 Burial Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Stoke next Guildford, St John the Evangelist; ref STK/5/5
  21. George Jackson 31 Oct 1885 Burial Surrey History Centre, Woking; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Stoke next Guildford, St John the Evangelist; ref STK/5/4
  22. Sarah, Mary Ann Swan 1901 England Census return for Guildford Union Workhouse, Stoke next Guildford, Surrey; class RG13; piece 605; folio 65; page 6
  23. Sarah Swan 1 Jul 1905 admission to Brookwood Asylum Guildford Poor Law Union Minute Book Dec 1904 – Jun 1906; ref BG6/11/32; page 174
    Sarah Swan 1 Jul 1905 admission Brookwood Hospital Woking; Female Case Book no 27; ref 3043/5/9/2/33; page 25
    Available at Surrey History Centre, Woking SurreyCC.gov.uk
  24. Brookwood Asylum 6 Aug 1906 Surrey Advertiser, page 2 British Newspaper Archive / FindMyPast.co.uk
    Sarah Swan 24 Aug 1906 Sarah Swann to Oxford County Asylum Guildford Poor Law Union Minute Book Jul 1906 – Nov 1907; ref BG6/11/33; page 46 Available at Surrey History Centre, Woking SurreyCC.gov.uk
  25. Sarah Swan 30 Jun 1908 Sarah Swann discharged to the Workhouse Guildford Poor Law Union Minute Book Dec 1907 – Mar 1909; ref BG6/11/34; page 212 Available at Surrey History Centre, Woking SurreyCC.gov.uk
  26. The Poor Law Institutions Order 30 Dec 1913 Statutory Rules and Orders Workhouses.org.uk
    The Poor Law and After: Workhouse Hospitals and Public Welfare 10 Apr 1999 Lecture by MW Royden; Liverpool Medical Institution Roydenhistory.co.uk
    English Poor Laws, Decline and Abolition Wikipedia.org
  27. Changes at the Guildford Poor Law Union related to World War 1 Meeting Minute Books of the Guardians and Visiting Committees of the Guildford Poor Law Institution; collected by Phil Davie; ref BG6/11/43 & BG6/12/11. Available at Surrey History Centre, Woking SurreyCC.gov.uk
    Grim Days of the Guildford Union Workhouse     7 Sep 2018 Guildford Dragon Guildford-dragon.com
  28. Sarah Swan 1921 England Census for Guardian’s Institution, Bletchingley, Godstone, Surrey; ref RG15; piece 03370; ED 44; page 7
  29. Mary Swan 1921 England Census for Infirmary, Hale Rd, Farnham, Surrey; ref RG15; piece 03259; ED 25; page 18
    Inmates from Guildford Farnham Board of Guardians 8 Nov 1915 Surrey Advertiser, page 3 British Newspaper Archive / FindMyPast.co.uk
  30. Sarah Swan 16 Feb 1926 England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index; Guildford, Surrey; vol 2A; page 160 Digital copy from GRO.gov.uk
  31. Master and Matron for 20 Years, Guardians recognise good service, Gifts to Mr & Mrs CH Bessant 24 Sep 1927 Surrey Advertiser and County Times, page 2 British Newspaper Archive / FindMyPast.co.uk
  32. Mary Swann 1939 England & Wales Register for Hale Road County Hospital, Farnham; ref RG 101; piece 1896C; ED DMLW; schedule 176
  33. Mary Ann Swann 18 Apr 1947 England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index; Surrey South-Western; vol 5G; page 799 Digital copy from GRO.gov.uk
  34. James, Lily Banks 1939 England & Wales Register for Hale Road County Hospital, Farnham; ref RG 101; piece 1896C; ED DMLW; schedule 1