Week 4 - A Theory in Progress

Who is Phoebe Elizabeth Washbrook's Mother?

There is a birth certificate I have been trying to order since November 2025. It is sitting in the General Register Office (GRO) cloud, waiting for me to order it and download it directly to my computer. It holds the answer to a simple, yet important question – who is Phoebe Elizabeth Washbrook's mother? However, the GRO online payment system is broken, and I remain in genealogical limbo awaiting the situation to be fixed. That is the reality of family history. Sometimes the answer is tantalisingly close yet so far away. In this case, a broken payment system. So, while I continue to wait for the issue to be rectified, I will share with you what I know and what I suspect. I will show you why this particular mystery is so important to me.

What I Know

Phoebe Elizabeth Washbrook was born on 5 April 1904 in Lancashire, England. There is no mother's surname listed in the index, which usually means the child is illegitimate. There is some discrepancy in the records as to where exactly she was born. On the birth index it is within the registration district of Prestwich, which incorporates numerous areas within the district. In the 1911 Census her birthplace has been listed as Stockport, Cheshire, and in the 1921 Census it is listed as Oldham, Lancashire. The birth certificate would provide the exact place of birth to clear this up. She died in 1972 in Birmingham, Warwickshire.

In 1929 she married Benjamin Boot Washbrook in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. Benjamin (Junior) was the son of Benjamin Washbrook (Senior) and Hannah Marriott. Benjamin (Senior) was the son of Frederick Washbrook and Sarah Jane Boot. Benjamin (Junior) was born on 11 April 1903 in Pelsall, Staffordshire. In the 1911 Census, Phoebe was living in Heath Town, Staffordshire, with her grandparents, Frederick Washbrook and Sarah Jane Boot. The same grandparents of Benjamin (Junior).  In the 1921 Census, Phoebe was living with her uncle, Benjamin Washbrook (Senior). Benjamin (Junior) was living in Walsall with his maternal aunt. This information means, if the records are correct, Benjamin (Junior) and Phoebe are first cousins. So, if Frederick Washbrook was her grandfather, we know one of his children must be her parent. Given the absence of a mother's maiden name on the index and the fact she lived first with her grandparents and then her uncle, I am confident that one of Frederick's daughters is her mother. The question is: which daughter?

Children of Frederick and Sarah Washbrook

Frederick and Sarah had 9 children together; however, Frederick had 4 children with his first wife, Eliza.  

Children of Frederick and Eliza

Frederick Washbrook b.1868 Ann Washbrook b.1870 Hannah Washbrook b.1871 Clara Washbrook b.1873 d.1873

Children of Frederick and Sarah

Benjamin b.1877 Ellen Jane b.1878 Isaiah b.1880 Sarah Elizabeth b.1882 Phoebe b.1884 John Henry b.1886 Eliza b.1887 Harriet Rachel b.1889 d.1890 Ada May b.1894 From these lists I have, without further proof, eliminated all the boys. I can also eliminate Clara and Harriet, as they died in infancy. I am also immediately eliminating Ada, as she was only 10 when Phoebe was born. That leaves me with Ann, Hannah, Ellen, Sarah, Phoebe, and Eliza. At this stage I am discounting the older two girls, Ann and Hannah; however, they are still in the back of my mind. My biggest problem with Ann and Hannah is I haven't found any census records past 1871 for Ann or 1891 for Hannah when they were both living at home. I have also not found marriage or death records for either of them, therefore making it hard to investigate them as possibilities.

My Four Suspects

Ellen Jane Washbrook (b.1878)

Ellen would have been about 26 years old when Phoebe Elizabeth was born. She was unmarried, remaining single until her death in 1961 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. She was living in the same household as Phoebe Elizabeth in both the 1911 and 1921 censuses, first with her father, Frederick, and then her brother, Benjamin (Senior). If Ellen was Phoebe Elizabeth's mother, it would explain why she stayed close to the child, moving into the same households as her. This would have allowed her to share parenting while not being officially acknowledged as the mother of an illegitimate child, which was quite shameful in the era. The weakness in this theory is I have not found any evidence of Ellen ever being in the Stockport, Cheshire, or Prestwich, Lancashire areas, locations associated with Phoebe Elizabeth's birth.

Sarah Elizabeth Washbrook (b.1882)

Sarah Elizabeth, who was often in the records as Elizabeth, was about 22 years old when Phoebe Elizabeth was born. In the 1901 Census she was working as a general servant in Wolverhampton. In the 1911 census, she was boarding in Heaton Norris, Cheshire, and was a domestic servant. She was living alongside her sister, Eliza. In the 1921 census, she was living at Styal Cottage in Styal, Cheshire, in a children's home as a foster mother. Sarah Elizabeth is a compelling candidate. She never married. She remained working at the children's home for the remainder of her life before dying in Nell Lane Hospital, Withington, Lancashire, in 1931. Did she give Phoebe Elizabeth the middle name of Elizabeth because that was the name she used? Did Sarah give up her own illegitimate child to care for other abandoned children? It's a heartbreaking possibility. The timeline for this theory works. The location works. The fact she never married could be related to the shame of having an illegitimate child.

Phoebe Washbrook (b.1884)

Phoebe would have been about 20 years old when Phoebe Elizabeth was born. In 1901 she was working as a general servant in Wolverhampton before marrying in Stockport in 1908. She remained in Stockport until her death in 1957. The naming is suggestive. In that era, it was common for children to be named after a parent. The timing for this works but is tight. Phoebe Elizabeth was born in 1904 and Phoebe (Senior) married in 1908, going on to have children with her husband. Would she have given up a child just before marriage and not taken her back in at a later time? Would she have been able to marry so quickly after having a child?

Eliza Washbrook (b.1887)

Eliza would have been about 16 years old when Phoebe Elizabeth was born. In 1901 she was a 13-year-old living in the family home; however, by the 1911 census, she was living in Heaton Norris, Cheshire, working in a cotton mill. She was boarding in the same house as her older sister, Sarah. She married in 1915 in Stockport, Cheshire. Eliza is another strong contender. She was living in one of the possible birthplaces of Phoebe Elizabeth by 1911. She was living with her older sister. Had Sarah Elizabeth been sent with Eliza to Cheshire to look after her while she gave birth?

What the Birth Certificate Will Tell Me

Obviously, the birth certificate will be the proof I need to establish Phoebe Elizabeth's mother. It will give me:

• her exact place of birth
• her mother's name
• whether she was registered as illegitimate
• who registered the birth

This single document holds the answer to my question: who is Phoebe Elizabeth Washbrook's mother? I must admit, I have quite liked trying to identify her mother. If I had been able to purchase the birth certificate in the first instance, I wouldn't have sat down and tried to figure it out myself. It has made me check and double-check sources to build up a compelling argument as to who may be her mother. At this stage it is all conjecture. It reminds me of the time before the internet when I sent off for certificates with a cheque and waited weeks and sometimes months to receive them. We have become so used to answers being at our fingertips we tend to get impatient. In the meantime, I will continue on with other family history research and await the time I have an answer to my question.

Who do you think is Phoebe Elizabeth Washbrook's mother? Let me know in the comments.