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William J Collins

William J Collins

Male Abt 1867 -

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  • Name William J Collins  [1] 
    • ** Previously named Hockley the 1901 Census reveals that he is in fact a Collins and therefore is a child from an earlier marriage that Emma had. Another explanation is that William is her illegitimate child. Needs more research.
      Paul Barrett 30 Aug 2017
    Birth Abt 1867  Ickenham, Middlesex, England View who/what we know about this place  [2] 
    Gender Male 
    Census 1891  Bagshot, Surrey, England View who/what we know about this place  [2] 
    1891 England    		 1891 England
    Census 1901  College Ride, Bagshot, Surrey, England View who/what we know about this place  [1] 
    Imbecile 
    1901 England    		 1901 England
    All England Censuses: The terms Idiot and Imbecile as used in the England Censuses    		 All England Censuses: The terms Idiot and Imbecile as used in the England Censuses
    While there is a lot of discussion on online forums about these terms, there is little authoritative content. This link is the best I have found so far.

    In summary, the terms Idiot and Imbecile were supposed to be used to describe, respectively, a person with a congenital disability that made them entirely dependent on others, and someone who descended into a such a state in later life (most likely through senility or what we would now describe as Alzheimer's).

    But there were two main issues with that:
    a) Even in 1901, the term idiot was pejorative and therefore census givers avoided using it. This is borne out by reports that when the term was replaced by feeble-minded in the 1911 Census, reports of mental disability increased dramatically.
    b) The Census forms were completed by people who may themselves have been barely literate and may not have understood the distinction.

    Within our own family tree we have a couple of examples of young adults described as imbeciles who probably had a congenital disability and should therefore have been described as idiots.
    Person ID I1587  Main Tree
    Last Modified 30 Aug 2017 

    Parent _______ Collins 
    Parent Emma Collins,   b. Abt 1839, Ickenham, Middlesex, England View who/what we know about this place 
    Family ID F461  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - Abt 1867 - Ickenham, Middlesex, England Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - 1891 - Bagshot, Surrey, England Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsCensus - Imbecile - 1901 - College Ride, Bagshot, Surrey, England Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Sources 
    1. [S32] 1901 England Census, Rg13 594 105 23 (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S33] 1891 England Census, RG12 554 83 25 (Reliability: 3).