Ellen Barrett 1869-1960
Ireland & Rossi Ancestry trees have the incorrect parents for her- her father was Edward!
1869. Ellen Barrett was born 17/11/1869 Mile End to Edward Barrett , house painter, & Jane Stevenson at 31 Alfred Street, Mile End.
The family were living at 31 Bridge Street in Mile End old town. The street has survived but
not the house. When she was 3 months old, her mother Jane was admitted to Colney Hatch
asylum, later known as Friern Bamet hospital. It appears that Ellen's aunt Charlotte Bull, took
charge of Ellen and she was raised with the Bull family.
1871C. Ellen Barrett , 1, niece, was living Bridge Street East, Mile End Old Town
| Daniel | Bull | Head | - | Male | 41 | 1830 | painter & glazier - | Stepney Middlesex, England |
| Charlotte | Bull | Wife | - | Female | 43 | 1828 | - | Stepney Middlesex, England |
| Daniel | Bull | Son | - | Male | 19 | 1852 | - | Middlesex, England |
| Susannah | Bull | Daughter | - | Female | 18 | 1853 | - | Middlesex, England |
| Charlotte | Bull | Daughter | - | Female | 16 | 1855 | - | Middlesex, England |
| William | Bull | Son | - | Male | 13 | 1858 | - | Middlesex, England |
| Henery | Bull | Son | - | Male | 11 | 1860 | - | Middlesex, England |
| Ellen | Barrett | Niece | - | Female | 1 | 1870 | - | HackneyMiddlesex, England |
Charlotte Bull was a sister of Edward Barrett's. Next door is her father, Edward Barrett, 42.
1881C. Ellen Barrett ,11, niece, was living 78 Bridge Street East, Mile End Old Town
| Daniel | Bull | Head | Married | Male | 56 | 1825 | Painter | Stepney, Middlesex, England |
| Charlotte | Bull | Wife | Married | Female | 52 | 1829 | - | Stepney, Middlesex, England |
| William | Bull | Son | Single | Male | 22 | 1859 | Plumber | Stepney, Middlesex, England |
| Henry | Bull | Son | Single | Male | 21 | 1860 | Carman | Stepney, Middlesex, England |
| Ellen | Barrett | Niece | Single | Female | 11 | 1870 | Scholar | Stepney, Middlesex, England |
1889. Ellen Barrett married Thomas Jabez Ireland, waterman & lighterman, Stepney Dec 1889 . On 22/12/1889 at St Dunstan & All Saints, Stepney . His father Thomas Smith Ireland, lighterman: hers Edward Barrett, painter & decorator . His address was 47 Hardinge Street; Ellen's address was 78 Bridge Street, the home of her uncle and aunt
The newlyweds moved in with Ellen's in laws Thomas S Ireland and his wife Susannah at 47 Hardinge Street. This property was owned?, more likely he the tenant , by TS Ireland.
1890. Ellen Susannah Ireland was born Stepney Jun 1890 to Thomas & Ellen
1891C. Thomas J Ireland , 23, waterman & lighterman, was living Hardinge Street, Ratcliffe, Stepney with his wife Ellen, and firstborn
| Thomas J | Ireland | Head | Married | Male | 23 | 1868 | Waterman & Lighterman | London, Middlesex, England |
| Ellen | Ireland | Wife | Married | Female | 21 | 1870 | - | London, Middlesex, England |
| Ellen S | Ireland | Daughter | Single | Female | 0 | 1891 | - | London, Middlesex, England |
Two more children were bom to the couple: Eliza Ireland b l892 and Thomas Charles Ireland b l893.
1896-1939. Ellen Ireland was detained in Claybury Asylun from 10/9/1896 until 7/2/1939- though there is a record of her being discharged on 25/9/1927
1921C Cannot locate her in this
1939-1960. Ellen Ireland was detained in Tooting Bec
In 1896 Ellen Ireland was admitted to Stepney Union workhouse. The register noted:
o Admitted to workhouse 7th Sept 1896
o Bruises on arrns, body and legs
o Two slight cuts on right hand from smashing window before admission
o Removed to Claybury asylum 10th Sept
o Observations - bruises fading, abrasions healed
The admission register for Claybury notes:
o Registered number 3043
o Name: Ellen Ireland
o Date: 10th September 1896
. Religion: Prot
o Class: Pauper - 52
o Age:27
o Married
o Duration of existing attack: 4 days
o First affack: no
. Age on first attack 25 ( thus ~ in 1894)
o Rank or profession: wife of a Waterman
o Form of insanity: rec mania
o Chargeable to: Stepney union
o Result and observations: discharged 1927,Sept25 . . was she actually discharged??
o As above, to Tooting Bec 7.2.39
There appears to be no evidence of a discharge or re-admission in 1927 .
So, it seems that Ellen remained in Claybury for 4l years until a transfer to the newly opened??
Tooting Bec hospital in February 1939. This unit was purpose built for the elderly and frail
which suggests that Ellen was not mentally ill at the time. She must have received excellent
care ( I can find no proof of this, seems to have been an old Asylum building!- see below) - living to the grand old
age of 90 and died 14ft May 1960 after a further 2I years of life.
To think this lady had been institutionalised for 63 years seems incredible. She lived through
two world wars, the admission and death of her eldest daughter at the same asylum in l92l and
with monumental changes in society going on outside.
Thomas Jabez Ireland did not re-marry or appear to co-habit. He raised his children and by the
census of 1911 was living on his own. He died in 1942, the informant was his daughter Eliza.
. 
Claybury . . .. . ... . . .... . .. . . . . .. . ..Tooting Bec
1960. Ellen Ireland, 90, widow of Thomas Jabez Ireland , a Lighterman, died of Senility on 14/5/60 at Tooting Bec Hospital Wandsworth. The Informant was Thomas Charles Ireland , her son, of 56 Englewood Road, SW 12.
