Was my grandfather abandoned by his mother?
QMy grandfather, William Sebastian Lewis (born 12 June 1900), never knew who his parents were. He was apparently found walking London’s streets as a child, and sent to the Stockport Certified Industrial School. I found him there on the 1911 census, with his birthplace listed as Colchester. He later went into the Army.
I obtained a marriage certificate for Harry S Lewis, Private, Royal Scots (Fusiliers), and Mary McBean in November 1898. Their son, William Sebastian, was born on the right date. If this is my family, does it mean Harry was sent to Colchester when William was a baby? Harry and Mary got divorced, so I wonder if he was abandoned by his mother and sent to an industrial school.
I’d like to know where William Sebastian Lewis was born, and whether his parents were Harry and Mary. I can’t find any trace of them until William pops up in 1911. Susan Bryan
AThe 1939 Register records William’s birthdate as 12 June 1900. Combined with his unusual combination of names, this suggests he was the boy born on that date in Linlithgow, Scotland, to Harry Sebastian Lewis and his wife Mary (née McBean). When they married in 1898, Harry was a Royal Scots soldier, but by William’s birth he appears to be a reservist. The 1901 census for Inverkeithing, Fife, records the family there (see scotlandspeople.gov.uk).
On 28 October 1912, the Scotsman newspaper (on britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) recorded Harry now living in Leith, and seeking a divorce – Mary had deserted him and her address was unknown, so the family broke up some time before that.
Industrial schools took children found wandering, so perhaps Mary had moved south and abandoned William, or could not look after him. Firstly, check Harry and Mary Lewis’s divorce records, held by the National Records of Scotland (reference CS255/128) – do they contain information about the young William? Secondly, look for records of Stockport Industrial School (held at Stockport Local Heritage Library – bit.ly/ stockport-heritage). These may have more information about William and any connection to Colchester or London. Lastly, if William served in the Army until 1924, his service records should still be held by the Ministry of Defence ( bit.ly/MoDrecords). Apply for a copy to see what information they may hold about his origins.
Antony Marr