Norah KING born at Sheffield Workhouse Hospital ? (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Tuesday, October 08, 2013, 13:01 (3854 days ago) @ MPGriffiths

Re Norah being born in 1909 at "2 Smilter Lane Sheffield UD".

This address was apparently "infamous" in Sheffield as it was the site of one of the Sheffield Urban District(U.D.?) Workhouses, built at Fir Vale. The Workhouse also included the Smilter Lane/Herries Rd Children's Homes and is now the site of the Northern General NHS Hospital, the Smilter's Lane address has been discontinued from usage...
http://sheffieldindexers.com/NorthernGeneralHospital.html

Extensive history details, maps and photos here, scroll down to "Fir Vale"
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Sheffield/
And
http://www.judandk.force9.co.uk/workhouse.html#FIR

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I recall the recent Una Stubbs edition of "Who Do You Think You Are" discussed the York Workhouse, Una's grandmother(herself illegitimate) gave birth there to her illegitimate son in 1903, so about the same era as Norah and not too far away. In her case she was only there a few weeks - the programme suggested it was quite common for poor expectant mothers to admit themselves into the Workhouse in this way so they could receive rudimentary healthcare during the childbirth, perhaps this was the case with Norah ?
http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/episode/una-stubbs