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Henry Franklin

173 Lower Street
4 Lower Street
3 Lower Street
6 Victoria Rd
20 Guilford Road
23 Blenheim Road
Prospect House, Wellington Road

Occupation: Photographer

It seems that Henry was the last of the Deal born, Franklin photographers. He was the third son of the still well known, William Henry Franklin and like his father started off by working in the drapery business. Then by the time of his marriage to Ann Pavey in 1874, he was a Photographer. So far though, we have not found any photographs that bare his name. 

Henry continues to work in Deal as a photographer at least until 1911. Sometime after this, perhaps for retirement, both he and Annie move to Thanet area where they remain until they deaths when they were brought home to be buried in Hamilton Road Cemetery. The Hamilton Road burial register gives their address then as Wellington Road, Thanet, however where in Thanet we don’t know. 

The Franklin Children

William John was taken into Chartham Asylum where he died at the relatively young age of 49 years. The Hamilton Road Burial Register gives both Chartham Asylum and Wellington Road, Thanet as the place in which he died. So we think that he was taken first to his parent’s home before being brought back to Deal to be buried.

Chartham Asylum was founded in 1872 as a psychiatric hospital that was part of East Kent County Asylum, it was then named St Augustine’s Hospital. By the time of William’s death, in this institution, the hospital had been taken over by Kent County Mental Hospitals Committee. Why William was admitted to this hospital we do not know but, if he is an ancestor of yours, the Asylum records are accessible at the National Archives.

Annie seems to have moved to Dorset with her Florist husband. Her death in 1936 is recorded as taking place in Hill House. Public Assistance Institution, Thanet. This building had been Thanet Workhouse. Then between 1915 and 1920, it was a Military Hospital. The Workhouse system was finally abolished in 1929, and the building became a Public Assistance Institution converting, once more, into Hill House Hospital from 1948. Our research tells us that these institutions were no longer run by a Board of Guardians but run by County Councils and County boroughs. These PAIs continue to operate with relatively little change.

Sources and further reading:
Wikipedia
BBC History Extra