Arthur Barrington

Many years ago I asked my grandfather about his uncle Arthur, his mother's younger brother. I have a vague recollection of him saying that he had been a soldier in the Great War, and that it left him rather strange. Nothing more. he was forgotten. He had no wife or children.

Recently, as part of my research, at long last, on the Barrington family, I looked into what I could find out about my great great uncle Arthur Barrington. In my great grandfather's notes, written in about 1905, Arthur is just a name, with nothing else. Arthur was born in 1881 in Salford., the fifth of seven children. He worked as an 'Armature Winder'; presumably winding dynamos. He served in the army, but was invalided out in 1917, and returned to Salford, his mother and his job. He died in 1931in the lunatic asylum in Prestwich. I do not know the cause or why.

Birth Registration

Name: Arthur Barrington
Event Type: Birth Registration
Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration Year: 1881
Registration District: Salford
County: Lancashire
Event Place: Salford, Lancashire, England
Volume: 8D
Page: 136
Affiliate Line Number: 203

Baptism

Name: Arthur Barrington
Residence Place: Salford, Lancashire, England
Gender: Male
Christening Date: 27 Feb 1881
Christening Date (Original): 27 Feb 1881
Christening Place: Chapelry-of-Christ, Salford, Lancashire, England
Father's Name: William Barrington
Mother's Name: Harriet

This gives his date of birth as 1st January, 1881.

Census 1871

Name: Harriett Barrington
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1871
Event Place: Salford, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
Sub-District: Regent Road
Enumeration District: 18
Gender: Female
Age: 27
Marital Status: Married
Relationship to Head of Household: Wife
Birth Year (Estimated): 1844
Birthplace: Salford, Lancashire
Affiliate Image Identifier: GBC/1871/4023/0100

Household
Role
Sex
Age
Birthplace
Willm Barrington
Head
Male
31
Salford, Lancashire
Harriett Barrington
Wife
Female
27
Salford, Lancashire
Frances Barrington
Daughter
Female
6
Salford, Lancashire
Florence Barrington
Daughter
Female
1
Salford, Lancashire
Eliza Jane Woods
Lodger
Female
19
Warrington, Lancashire

Census 1881
Name: Arthur Barrington
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1881
Event Place: Salford, Lancashire, England
Registration District: Salford
Residence Note: Liverpool Street
Gender: Male
Age: 0
Marital Status (Original): Single
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Birth Year (Estimated): 1881
Birthplace: Salford, England
Page Number: 5
Registration Number: RG11
Piece/Folio: 3968/6
Affiliate Record Type: Household

Household
Role
Sex
Age
Birthplace
William Barrington
Head
Male
40
Salford, England
Harriet Barrington
Wife
Female
37
Salford, England
Frances Barrington
Daughter
Female
16
Salford, England
Florence Barrington
Daughter
Female
12
Salford, England
William Hy Barrington
Son
Male
9
Salford, England
Emily Barrington
Daughter
Female
7
Salford, England
Ralph Barrington
Son
Male
5
Salford, England
Arthur Barrington
Son
Male
0
Salford, England

Census 1891
Name: Arthur Barrington
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1891
County: Lancashire
Parish: Salford
Ecclesiastical Parish: ST PHILIPS
Registration District: Salford
Gender: Male
Age: 10
Occupation: Scholar
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Birth Year (Estimated): 1881
Birthplace: Lancashire, England
Page Number: 2
Registration Number: RG12
Piece/Folio: 3220/ 4

Household
Role
Sex
Age
Birthplace
Wm Barrington
Head
Male
52
Lancashire, England
Harriet Barrington
Wife
Female
47
Lancashire, England
Florence Barrington
Daughter
Female
21
Lancashire, England
Wm Henry Barrington
Son
Male
19
Lancashire, England
Emily Barrington
Daughter
Female
17
Lancashire, England
Ralph Barrington
Son
Male
15
Lancashire, England
Arthur Barrington
Son
Male
10
Lancashire, England
Maud Barrington
Daughter
Female
8
Lancashire, England

Census 1901
Name: Arthur Barrington
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 31 Mar 1901
Event Place: Salford, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
County: Lancashire
Civil Parish: Salford
Ecclesiastical Parish: Salford St Philips
Sub-District: Regent Road
Registration District: Salford
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Occupation: ELECTRIC ARMETURE WINDER
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Birth Year (Estimated): 1881
Birthplace: Salford, Lancashire
Schedule Type: 10
Page Number: 3


Household
Role
Sex
Age
Birthplace
William Barrington
Head
Male
61
Salford, Lancashire
Harriet Barrington
Wife
Female
57
Salford, Lancashire
Emily Barrington
Daughter
Female
26
Salford, Lancashire
Maud Barrington
Daughter
Female
19
Salford, Lancashire
Arthur Barrington
Son
Male
20
Salford, Lancashire

Census 1911

Name: Harriet Barrington
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1911
Event Place: Pendleton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
County: Lancashire
Parish: Pendleton
Sub-District: Pendleton
Sub-District Number: 1
District Number: 465
Enumeration District: 11
Registration District: Salford
Gender: Female
Age: 67
Marital Status: Widowed
Marital Status (Original): WIDOW
Number in Family: 3
Birth Year (Estimated): 1844
Birthplace: Salford, Lancashire
Relationship to Head of Household: Head Mother
Schedule Type: 214
Page Number: 1
Registration Number: RG14
Piece/Folio: 425
Affiliate Record Identifier: GBC/1911/RG14/23942/0425/1


Household
Role
Sex
Age
Birthplace
Harriet Barrington
Head Mother
Female
67
Salford, Lancashire
Arthur Barrington
Son
Male
30
Salford, Lancashire
William Barrington
Grandson
Male
10
Salford, Lancashire

Army Discharge 1917

Arthur Barrington
Gender: Male
Rank: Pte
Record Type: Disability
Birth Date: 1881
Residence Place: Leedley
Military Service Region: England, North West
Discharge Date: 9 Feb 1917
Service Number: 29023
Corps, Regiment or Unit: Tr. Res. R.F.A.
Service Branch: Military (Army)
Title: PRC Ledgers
Description: Pension Record Ledger
Reference Number: 3/MB/5283

Administration Grant 1932

Name: Arthur Barrington
Event Type: Probate
Event Date: 27 Sep 1932
Event Place: Salford, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original): Manchester, Salford, United Kingdom
Death Date: 18 Oct 1931
Beneficiary's Name: Frances Wilkes
Second Beneficiary's Name: Arthur Percy Wilkes
Additional Person's Name: Maud Adams

The grant of probate says that he died at 535, Bury New Road. I did some research and it seems that was the address of the Lancashire County Mental Hospital. I have childhood memories of references to 'Prestwich' as a euphemism for a mental hospital. Army records show that he had a disability; I wonder what it was. By coincidence his grant of probate is almost adjacent to that of his mother.  

Elsie was Arthur’s niece, and my grandfather was his nephew. I wept reading accounts on the internet of life in that hospital. 

I had the doubtful privilege of visiting Calderstones, Rampton and Langdon ‘Mental Hospitals’, and three decades ago I was a part-time chaplain at Dartmoor, Exeter and Channings Wood Hospitals. They were all run on the same lines, with warders, punishments etc.