Records/genealogy help

[RiftGibbon]

Posting here for traffic.
Does anyone know how to search on the census returns for Anglican convents, monasteries and the suchlike?
In writing, and I need inspiration for names of nuns and where they lived. Early twentieth century ideally.

If you have the address of the convent,monastery, etc you should be able to pull up the names living there using the address search tool

Of course, they usually adopted saints and martyr names when they took orders so it might be easier to look at lists of those to get inspiration.

Here is link to a blog about address search tool
www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/help/1911-census-address-search-reintroduced-to-findmypast

You might have to pay for a one month subscription to do this.

On censuses they usually record their real names rather than their names in religion.

Some kept their original Christian name. Some changed to something else, but not always a saint's name a la Catholic nuns. You might get some ideas by researching real communities and their histories: a list is on Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_religious_order

One important point: they aren't actually allowed to be called nuns if C of E. They are Sisters.

Some lived in convents, some in mission houses or schools or institutions they were working in. Do you know what you want your characters to be doing?

How strange - I typed up a reply to this yestereday but it didn't post!

I don't have a name for the convent as this is just a work of fiction - I was hoping to find one or two so I could get some inspiration for names that would have been likely at the time.

In the case of what I'm writing about - someone who was a nun has died - the mother superior (or whatever the correct title, which I have to find out, is) has written to a family member to advise and sent them a letter which the nun requested was passed on in the event of her death.

If it is further help - the letter was sent 1952-4, but the person became a nun in her very early 20s which was 1917-19.

Mother Superior would be Mother X and the Sister, Sister Y (emphasise not to use the word nun anywhere as it wasn't permitted) - the x can be anything but I would just pick a name popular among upper/upper middle class families at the period she would have been born, because as likely as not she would have kept that name.

Oh, and signature would be followed by the initials of the order.

So if it was the Community of the Holy Resurrection (made up example), it would be Mother Jane, CHR.