The children and the homes

The children

The first boys admitted to The Children's Home were George Oliver and Frederick James Hall.

George's admission slip recorded that his father has passed away and his mother was struggling to raise her four children on what she earned as a seamstress. George is described as 'hot tempered, healthy, fairly truthful and of good intellectual capacity', and that he 'has learned swearing'.

Fred's admission slip tells a similar story, with his father dead and his mother working as a charwoman to support her six children. Fred is described as 'Wilful and quite beyond his mother's control. Had been a little to school but led an "arab" life in the streets.'

Other boys taken in by The Children's Home included Charles Henley, who had spent two weeks in prison, probably for begging or stealing, and Harry, who sold matches in London's slums. Taking only boys for the first two years, The Children's Home expanded in 1871 to take in girls as well.

Some of the children from our homes have gone on to become famous, including Walter Tull, the first black professional footballer, the comedian and writer Stanley Unwin, and the actress Shirley Anne Fields.

The homes

The Children's Home was founded on 9 July 1869 in a renovated stable in Waterloo, London. Expanding to also take in girls, the Home moved to Bonner Rd, Bethnal Green in 1871, and a second home, Edgworth (also known as Crowthorn), was built on Edgworth Farm on the Lancashire moors in 1872.

Growing rapidly to meet the needs of orphaned and neglected children, more homes opened in Ramsey (Isle of Man), Chipping Norton and Farnborough. An orphanage opened in Birmingham, alongside convalescent homes for sick children in Alverstoke and Harpenden.

In 1917, a hotel in Penarth was given to the charity to train boys for the sea and engineering trade. All the homes focused on giving children the skills to earn a living in trades such as carpentry, printing and domestic help.

While most of the homes have closed, as we have moved away from residential care, the bonds between the 'old boys and girls' and the Sisters who cared for them remain strong. Many still attend our annual reunion and our Extended family newsletter is a popular way of staying in touch.