NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS U.K.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES REGARDING HOME CHILDREN
Most of these articles are from the hard work of Thelma Hartman
The "Liverpool Sheltering Homes" was opened in Liverpool in the spring of
1873.Many of the children arriving in Halifax in 1870's were stated to have
come from Byrow But, that was a mistake; they came from the Liverpool
Sheltering Homes, which was located on Byrom Street
(which sometimes had nickname, "Byrom... Hall."
The Times
Saturday, April 22, 1826
page 4
London England
Marylebone Office - Yesterday an intelligent young woman, who gave her name
Margaret Reading and that she was in the service of Rev. Mr. Gage, of Queen
Anne street, Cavendish-square, attended at this office to ask the advice of
Mr. Rawlinson, the magistrate, how she should act under the following
extraordinary circumstances. She stated that in consequence of the death of
her mother and father, she had been left with two brothers quite unprovided
for; and in order that they might be properly protected, she succeeded in
placing them in the workhouse, and procuring for herself a respectable
situation in the family of Mr. Gage. One of her brothers had been
apprenticed to a woollen draper, but the other still remained in the
workhouse of Marylebone parish, where applicant was led to believe he would
remain until a vacancy occurred in the parish school, when he would be
placed in the school for purpose of education. She however ascertained that
it was the determination of the parish to send several boys to America, and
that amoung the number her brother was included. It was not his inclination
to leave England, nor did she wish it, and feeling particularly anxious
about the matter, she paid a visit to the workhouse where she saw her
brother who was rejoiced to see her and expressed his reluctance to go to
America, and she was informed that he would certainly be sent off with the
other workhouse boys tomorrow (this day) unless he was taken out of the
workhouse immediately Applicant said that she was obliged to work very hard
for her own support. She would be willing to take her brother altogether
from such a place as the workhouse, but her means would not admit of her
doing so. She could not support him if she took him out of the workhouse,
and she had no friends to take care of him. In this dilemma, she was afraid
that her brother would be sent away from her without his or her consent,
and she wished to know from the magistrate whether the parish would be
justified in sending him to America, or whether she could not claim the
protection of the magistrate.
Mr. Rawlinson thought it a most extraordinary proceeding and said he was
aware that the subject of sending destitute children to Canada was at
present under the consideration of a committee of the House of Commons,
but that they having not decided on the point, he conceived that the parish
was not at all justified in anticipating them and sending children to
Canada prior to the result of their deliberation. How old is your brother?
Applicant: - Twelve years of age.
Mr. Rawlinson; - It is almost time for him to be put to apprentice.
Applicant: - I wish him to remain in the workhouse until he can be put
into the school.
Mr. Rawlinson; - You have made inquiries at the workhouse.
Applicant - I have, and was told he would surely be sent,if I did not take
him away before Saturday (this day).
Mr. Rawlinson- They cannot legally do it. The Board are now sitting; you go
there directly and speak to them, then return to me and let me know the
result of your application.
The applicant thanked his worship, and left the office to pursue his advice
and shortly after returned herself. She stated that she had been there and
was told again that it was their determination to send the boys off, unless
taken from the workhouse before Saturday.
Mr. Rawlinson - They cannot do it. Whom did you see?
Applicant; - Two men. I don't know if whether they were gentlemen or no.
One of them told me, " It was no use to trouble the board;" and on telling
them that I had come there by Mr. Rawlinson's advice, they told me that Mr
Rawlinson had nothing to do with it.
Mr. Rawlinson smiled and asked whether she had been told that he "had
nothing to do with it" in the presence of the board?
Applicant said she was.
Mr. Rawlinson; - I can only say again that they will not be justified in
sending your brother to Canada; the propriety of such proceeding is now
under consideration and it would be premature to send children there yet.
Applicant; - I think they are determined on sending him, and I should wish
to be satisfied on the subject. He should not go if I could take him out
of the workhouse.
Mr. Rawlinson: - It would be impossible for the parish to send him tomorrow
unless at their own risk. He took down her name and the address of the Rev
Mr. Gage, and made a promise to inquire about the matter himself at the
workhouse and would convey to her by letter the result of is inquiries,
again assuring her that her brother could not be sent out of the country
by the parish until the committee of the House of Commons had decided.
The Times
London, England
July 10, 1850
Ragged Schools and Emigration Special Appeal
President - The Right Hon. Lord Ashley, M P
Nearly 250 youths of both sexes have during the last two years left England
for the colonies from the Ragged Schools of London. They were previously
examined and approved of by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools.
The Government highly approved of the scheme, and gave assistance towards
sending out the first 150; the Committee of the Ragged School Union have
sent out nearly 100 additional. The funds already advertised, amounting to
nearly 1,229 pounds being nearly exhausted and many candidates preparing
for examination, the Committee most earnestly appeal to their friends and
the public for further support in aid of this special project.
First List (already advertised) pounds 1,229
Second list commenced
W J Maxwell, Esq, 2d contribution 10 pounds 10
Hon. C. Arden per the Lord Ashley 10 pounds 10
Hy Dixon, Esq. 10 pounds 10
Mr. Thos Brettell 5 pounds 5
Mrs. Pemberton 5 pounds
Miss Oliphant 5 pounds
Contributions will thankfully be received at messrs. Barclays's bank,
Lombard Street; the Union Bank, 4 Pall-mall east; and at the Society's
office 15 Exeter hall
The Edinburgh Evening Courant
May 23, 1868
Edinburgh, Scotland
The Original Ragged School
The Bazaar for the Emigration Fund will be held TODAY (SATURDAY) and Monday
the 25 inst. in the Institution at Ramsay Lane. The Bazaar will be open
from 12 to 4 o'clock Today and on Monday from 12 till 4 & 6 till 9 evening
Admission 6d; children half price
All work forwarded will be acknowledged in the Annual Report of the schools
a copy of which will be sent to each contributor.
Original Ragged Schools
The Rev. D K Guthrie will open the Bazaar (this day) at twelve o'clock
N B The Lamb Knitting Machine will be exhibited during the day
The Edinburgh Evening Courant
Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
Friday Oct 29 1869
page 9
Departure of Emigrants - Yesterday afternoon, a number of children
sailed from Liverpool on board the mail steamship Hibernia as emigrants
to Canada. They are under the superintendence of Miss Rye, who has gone
out with them. They consist of eight boys and sixty eight girls and are
in the charge of nineteen adults. Forty nine of the children are girls
from the Liverpool Industrial School, whose passage and outfit are paid
for by the select vestry. The other children are from some of the London
workhouses. A large establishment has been taken and organized at Niagara
as an institution where the children will be trained as domestic servants.
All of them are well clothed and seem to be well provided for. They also
seem cheerful and happy
The Times
London, England
Friday, Oct 29, 1869
page 10
Little Emigrants - Yesterday Miss Rye, the most successful of the
priestesses of emigration, sailed from the Mersey, with 95 persons under
her care, in the Montreal ocean steamship Hibernian (Captain Smith) for
Quebec. Her charge consisted of 19 adults, eight boys, and 68 little girls
all of whom, with the exception of ten, are orphans. Her intention is to
take them to an establishment she has prepared in Canada, near Niagara,
and there give them a course of training, and ultimately to send them out
as domestic servants. Miss Rye herself, with 26 children from London,
Wolverhampton, Bath &c., arrived on board on Wednesday evening. The
Liverpool contingent, consisting of 50 little girls from the Liverpool
Industrial Schools, which form part of the parochial system, were taken
on board yesterday at noon. About a month ago Miss Rye explained her plan
to the Liverpool Select Vestry and obtained their consent to the experiment
at the rate of 8 l per head. The money was provided out of 200 l out of
the voluntary rate and the remaining 200 l by subscription, Mr. Rathbone,
M P, being a principal subscriber. Eighty or 90 children were at first
selected, all of them either orphans or those who had been deserted for
a number of years; but it was determined that no child whose relatives
objected should be sent out, and as objections were made in several cases
the number was at length reduced to 50. The inmates of the schools were at
once set to work, and an excellent kit was provided for each of the little
travelers. A good substantial box, containing 28 articles of apparel, was
given to each. Mr. and Mrs. Birchall, the master and matron of the schools
accompanied the little emigrants to the steamer. It was an interesting
sight on board the tender. The 50 were all under 11 years of age and 20
were under seven. They were all attired in warm woolen hoods, covering
the ears and shoulders, substantial woolen frocks and cloaks, stout shoes
and woolen socks.Each little one was also provided with a nice picture book
and a plum bun. The little children were evidently many of them great pets,
and bore marks of affection about them in the form of extra worked hoods,
large supplies of picture books and the like. When on board the tender,
and still more on board the Hibernian, the little voyagers lost all sense
of regret at leaving home in the crowd of wonders that thronged upon them,
and the only tears were those of one pretty little maiden who had run a
splinter into her finger. Two or three of the little girls had relatives
who came to see her off; but the majority were in that respect forlorn,
though in no sense unhappy. Miss Rye received them on board the Hibernian,
and they were formally handed over to her charge by Mr. Birchall. The
arrangements made for their reception were admirable. Their berths were
roomy and the whole section was carefully partitioned off from the other
parts of the vessel and would be strictly reserved to Miss Rye, her matron,
and the children under their charge. Miss Rye was warm in her praise of
the arrangements which Messrs. Allen had made. She also remarked that the
kindness their charges had met with from the railway company's employees,
and from all with whom they had come in contact, was most marked. Indeed
the childish band excited the utmost interest. Rough tars, who had been
accustomed to scenes of parting from home and friends, and had become
hardened thereto, unbended now and took a kindly and inquiring interest
in the little adventurers who are soon to encounter the trials of an
emigrant life, though certainly under far happier auspices than usually
fall to the lot of the orphan and the friendless. On their arrival on
board, the children were at once taken down to their section of the vessel
for dinner. Very happy they looked and yet many of those little cheerful
faces had passed through scenes of great sorrow. One pretty little creature
almost a baby, and her sister, slightly older, had left their mother, who,
poor creature, is dying in a London hospital and their father has been
dead some years. Two other little ones had left their mother, a poor
London needlewoman, dead in the house, where she had struggled for many
years. In this case, also, the father had long been dead. All the children
were provided with excellent kits. Before leaving the school the Liverpool
children were carefully examined by the school doctor, and they, with
the others, also passed the scrutiny of the emigration medical officer.
As to their future, Miss Rye has already bought and prepared an ample
home for them at Niagara, which she has aptly christened "Our Western Home"
There the children will be kept in careful training until they are 15,
when they will be let out to service at fixed rates of wages, and still
to some extent under Miss Rye's supervision, until they are 18, when
they become their own mistresses. Due care will be taken that the persons
to whom the children are permitted to go out to are of good character
and position. There is, however, another very important and interesting
element in the scheme. If any visitor to "Our Western Home" see a child
to whom he or she takes a fancy - and if the merry, happy, intelligent
faces we saw are any criterion, there will be many such, - and can give
sufficient guarantees of respectability and honest intention, they will
be permitted to adopt the child. Seeing the excellent opening there is
for female labor in such a country as Canada, few will dispute the
excellence and the practical philanthropy of Miss Rye's enterprise and
there are fewer still who will not wish the orphan children a hearty
"God Speed."
The Edinburgh Evening Courant
Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
Friday Oct 29 1869
page 9
Departure of Emigrants - Yesterday afternoon, a number of children sailed
from Liverpool on board the mail steamship Hibernia as emigrants to
Canada. They are under the superintendence of Miss Rye, who has gone out
with them. They consist of eight boys and sixty eight girls and are in the
charge of nineteen adults. Forty nine of the children are girls from the
Liverpool Industrial School, whose passage and outfit are paid for by the
select vestry. The other children are from some of the London workhouses.
A large establishment has been taken and organized at Niagara as an
institution where the children will be trained as domestic servants. All
of them are well clothed and seem to be well provided for. They also seem
cheerful and happy
NOTATION FROM MARJ KOHLI
I am just loving all of these items you are finding. This one shows that
you cannot always believe everything you read in the newspaper. Miss Rye
and party sailed on the Hibernian not on the Hibernia (they were two
different ships). It just goes to show how errors can make researching
difficult.
The Times
London England
Wednesday July 13, 1870
page 12
Miss Rye's emigrants - Miss Rye will sail on Thursday in the Prussian,
Allan Line, Captain J E Dulton, from Liverpool for Canada with about 80
girls, 50 from the Kirkdale Industrial School and the remainder from
various unions. Miss Rye will now have relieved Liverpool of 100 pauper
girls in nine months. The passage money and a supply of clothing are
provided by a voluntary rate in Liverpool but the rate is now nearly
exhausted. A gentleman has written to the Poor Law board in London asking
whether "it is in the power of the Liverpool vestry to hand over to
Miss Rye 50 of the orphan children under their charge, to be removed to
Canada; and also if it is legal for them to give this lady sole control
over these children, so far as to dispose of them to the best of her
judgment when they arrive in Canada;" and if they can vote a sum of money
out of the poor rates to defray all necessary expense of their removal.
The Poor Law Board reply that the vestry "are not legally empowered to
expend the poor rtes in emigration, unless under an order of the Board,
and in the present instance no such order has been applied for.
The Board believe that the cost of emigration in this case is to be
defrayed in some other way, and under the circumstances they have no
authority to interfere.
The Times
Tuesday, Aug 20, 1872, page 9
London, England
At Lambeth Mr. Ellison yesterday signed 14 certificates for the emigration
to Canada under the auspices of Miss Rye, of 14 little girls from six to
fourteen under the Poor Law Act 13 and 14 Vic., cap, 121, sec.4 At the
rising of court on Saturday 15 girls from Norwood Parish Schools were
brought into court by the schoolmistress. Mr. Ellingham, the settlement
officer for Lambeth parish said it was necessary that they should express
their consent in the presence of a magistrate before they could be sent
to Canada. The children were orphans or deserted and had to be passed by
the Local Government Board. They would sail early in September under the
charge of Miss Rye and on landing at Canada would be taken to a "Home"
before they were sent into service. One of the little girls, Annie Walters,
cried before the magistrate and on being asked the reason she said she
did not want to go to Canada. Mr. Ellison said she should not go without
her consent and perhaps some if her young friends would let her know how
they got on. The other children expressed their willingness to go and
will be sent to the colony
The Times
Thursday Sept 19 1872
page 10
London, England
Miss Rye's Emigration Scheme
A party of girls from the Industrial Schools attached to the workhouses of
Lambeth, St. Pancras, and Enfield left King's cross station at 10 o'clock
yesterday morning for Liverpool, whence they will proceed to Canada in the
ship San Martine (?). The party were 49 in number and included 16 from
Lambeth, 14 from Enfield, 10 from St Pancras and 9 from Miss Rye's home at
Peckham. The ages ranged from five to 13 years. Each is provided with two
suits of clothes and the passage is paid by the Guardians of her respective
parish. The party were accompanied to Liverpool by Miss Stilwell, secretary
to Miss Rye, and during the passage across the Atlantic they will be taken
in charge by a matron specially engaged for the purpose.
The Times
Wednesday Jun 4, 1873, page 11
London England
Miss Rye's Emigration Home
To the Editor of the Times
We have now 30 children in the Home. one month in gathering. All being
well we hope to leave for Canada the end of this month together with
workhouse children from Islington, Stoke-upon-Trent, Hereford, Devonport,
St. Savior's, Surrey and Kensington and are prepared to receive offers
from Boards of Guardians for a few more vacancies. The children are to
be girls (orphaned or deserted) and from 5 to 13 years of age.
Yours very gratefully Maria S Rye
Avenue house, High Street, Peckham
The Times
London, England
Friday Mar 6, 1874
page 4
Emigration Home for Little girls
To the Editor of the Times
Sir - I have described the condition of the children when first found
and brought here - often bruised, sometimes burnt, generally half
starved, and always in rags and filth - so frequently that the other
side of the picture will, I think, be acceptable to your readers, So
I here give two letters (only specimen letters however of more than 100
almost as interesting now in my desk, that are indeed our rich repayment
for all the labor thought and trouble the work gives us). The first
letter is written by a little girl of 11 years - an orphan born of
superior parentage - who had lived with some old maiden aunts, who
themselves were supported by charity. She says;
" My dear aunt, it seems long senc i have seen you, i would expet you
would like to hear from your nelly, i have got saft to canada, and i
have got a good home. I am with a lady and a gentleman, there family
is all gone for themselves but two sons, the youngest is 18, the
gentleman is a rich farmer, he owns 200 acres of land, he is his
own landlord, this is a free country, much better than were you be,
wehave plenty of good wod to burn, it makes butiful fire, we have a
nice spring crick running through the farm, and a pump of good water
at the door, all without rent, a large orchard or butiful apples,
grandfather has gone to the fair today, he has taken som with him,
he will get this prize on them. Som of them will way 20 ounces, i
can't step n the garden for apples, the boys is gathern them in fer
sider, we have got a sider mill and it makes a bountiful drink,
grandmother and i boils it down, grandfather keeps a large stock
of hoses and sheep and seven cows given milk and i have two dear
little calfs for pets and thay come and eat out of my hand, i like
my new home well, i have good health ever since i been hear, i was
very sick comin across, now i have got fat as a pig and grandmother
says i have got red cheeks and too chins that each that belong to
my black frock the bell hooks tite enough now, i have plenty of
every thing that is good to eat and drink and i can work better now
than i ust to, the work on a farm house is very different from the
work you have there, i can milk three cows in a short time,
grandmother says i may go to scool if i be smart and help do the work
in the morning, i have a quarter of a mile to go to Sunday scool every
Sunday, i wish all the girls come with me got as good home as i have,
grandmother has got me a new frock and a new hat, a new pair of boots,
a cloud and too new apruns, and a lot of other waring things i expet
to get in the spring, i must soon stop as it is getting late, i send
my respects to all my dear aunties, i will send you a peace of my hair,
i know i was a naughty girl to you, i am sorry now for it, i hope you
will forgive me, i send a kiss to you all. Ellen P
The next letter is about a poor little workhouse orphan, remarkable for
neither beauty of person nor brightness of mind. She was about seven
years old when taken in by the good Christian family who four years
ago adopted her and who now write;
"I think it my duty to write to you again and let you know how my
little Emma is getting on. I am happy to tell you that she continues
to be a good girl and has grown quite pretty and lady-like. She goes
to school everyday but is not quick at learning her lessons; but she
is naturally musical and getting on with her music lessons beautifully.
We bought her an organ, for which we paid $170 and have a music teacher
who comes to give her lessons twice a week and I am quite sure you would
be astonished if you heard how she can sing and play. I am very fond of
music and her profanely is a source of great pleasure to me. Emma sends
her best love and respects to Miss Rye and any little girls she may have
with her now and hopes they may all get as good a home as she has and
permit me to thank you again for my little girl and we pray God to
bless you and preserve you in all your travels by land and water,
and prosper the great work in which you are engaged, and may every one
to whom you have given a little girl to be a satisfied and grateful as
we are."
These letters speak for themselves and if any of your readers know of
any little deserted, ill treated, half starved little girl under 13 years
of age and will send her here, I am ready to receive her and shall be
pleased to correspond with ladies about fresh cases for my spring party.
Yours faithfully, Maria S Rye
The Times
Tuesday, Sept 8, 1874
page 5
London England
Pauper Emigration - On Friday the Bristol Board of Guardians had a very
stormy discussion upon the emigration of a pauper lad named John NORCOT
and a letter from the Local Government Board upon the matter. Last April
the child, who had been in the workhouse for some years, was sent to its
mother, who was a charwoman. She refused to receive it, being as she was
alleged to be ill. The Board, who was making up a batch of children to
emigrate with Miss Macpherson, sent him out to Canada as a deserted child.
A month or two after, the woman applied for her child and as he was not
forthcoming, the Local Government Board was written to on the subject.
A week ago a letter was received from that body to the effect that the
Board had done an illegal act in sending the child away, as he was not
deserted. A resolution was moved on Friday that immediate steps be taken
to restore the boy to his mother. This was strongly opposed by the
advocates for pauper emigration and after an excited discussion, an
amendment, to the effect that the Board should take no steps to procure
the return of the child was carried by a large majority. It was stated
that he Court of Queens Bench will be applied to for a Mandamus against
the Board.
The Times
London, England
Thursday, July 23, 1885
page 11
Child Emigration to Canada
At noon yesterday between 60 and 70 little girls, varying in age from three
to 13, left Euston for Liverpool, enroute to Canada, where they will become
inmates of Miss Rye's "distributing" home at Niagara. The children had come
from Miss Rye's Emigration Home for destitute little girls in High Street,
Peckham, in which for some time past they had been housed and trained.
Through friends interested in the movement. and through an appeal by Lord
Shaftesbury published in the Times, Miss Rye had obtained the means to
despatch her party of children, and yesterday many friends assembled to
bid the children a last farewell, and other prominent friends visited the
waiting room before the train was timed to start, and saw that the children
were provided with every necessity for their comfort. Arrangements had been
made by which the children would sleep last night on board the Circassian,
in which vessel they will make their voyage across the Atlantic. As the
train left the platform the children, who were accompanied by Miss Bessie
Fry, raised a loud cheer, which was warmly answered by the friends,
passengers, and railway employees, who had assembled to witness the
departure. The party that went yesterday brought up the number despatched
from London to Canada to 2,000
The Times,
Saturday, Feb 1, 1890, page 7
London, England
At Wandsworth, Mrs. Selby, of Sandown-terrace, Battersea-park-road, applied
to Mr. Vaughan for his advice under the following circumstances. She said
that five years ago she signed an agreement for her son's confinement to
Dr. Barnardo's House. The agreement also authorized Dr. Barnardo to send
her son where thought fit, and he was sent to one of the Homes in Canada.
She wrote to him two years ago but has received no notice. She had also
communicated with Dr. Barnardo, who, however, refused to let her have
her son or to tell her where he was, excepting that he was in Canada.
Mr. Vaughan said it was quite natural that the applicant should want to
know some particulars about her son, and that Dr. Barnardo certainly ought
to comply with her request. He advised the applicant to apply to the
magistrate at the Thames Police-court, as the home was within the
jurisdiction of that court. The applicant thanked the magistrate and
withdrew.
The Times
Monday, Feb 3, 1890, page 8
London England
Application against Dr. Barnardo
To the Editor of the Times
Sir, In the police report which appears in your issue of today an
application by a Mrs. Sibley to Mr. Vaughan, the sitting magistrate at
Wandsworth, for his advice is recorded. Mrs. Sibley stated that her son,
who had been sent to Canada from these homes with her consent, had written
to her and that she had communicated with Dr. Barnardo, who "refused to let
her have her son, or to tell her where he was."
As these applications to the police magistrates, unless replied to promptly.
tend to create a wholly false and injurious impression regarding our methods
of work, I am requested to ask you to allow the following explanation to
appear:
Mrs. Sibley, at the time of her boy's admission, was a watercross seller.
Her eldest boy was in prison for thieving. She was most anxious to save
Henry from the like dangers and, at her request, he was admitted to this
institution and with her consent was sent to Canada in the year 1886. If
the boy has not replied to his mothers letters we are not to blame; but
she has always been fully supplied with all the information in our
possession as to the whereabouts and career of her son. In October last
she applied, as she had done many times before, for his address and for
a report. We then sent her a reply, of which the following is an exact copy.
"Your son Henry Sibley is located in a very good home, where he is
exceedingly well treated by all. He is a fine, robust lad and is enjoying
the best of health. He is well conducted and making rapid progress with
his work. He attends regularly at the church, Sunday school and day school.
The boy's address is Henry Sibley, care of Mr. Henry Wesley Duke,
Mono Mills P.O., Ontario , Canada."
I do not think that Mrs. Sibley's application to the magistrate at
Wandsworth in view of what I have stated requires further comment.
Thanking you in anticipation
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
John Odling, Secretary, Offices of the Homes,
18 to 26, Stepney-cause-way, E. Feb 1
The Liverpool Courier
Liverpool, Lancashire
Tuesday, Feb 23, 1897
Mrs. Birt's Emigrant Children
To the Editor of the Liverpool Courier
Sir - we embarked in the quietest way possible with our gathered in
from the Sheltering Home and we are now getting our first day at sea, fine,
mild calm. All our young folks are running about on deck in the highest
spirits. They feel well clad, well fed and well slept - their little beds
are quite a picture, so neat with whitest of quilts and crisp sheets and
pillow cases. This Numidian is a thoroughly good ship and we have
convenient quarters for the children and lots of room on deck for them to
play about. Several of them are writing back how happy they are and how
much they like the water and the ship, everyone is kind to them. The teacher
is a very kindly man to them all and is amongst them all day and the lady
matron sleeps in her tiny cabin in their midst so they are well guarded
day and night. If I could but show you how much their prospects are
improved by this transplanting to Canada, you would agree with me that it
is a work God can approve and bless, and we see in the blessed results
that He does so. Thanking you for all your past kindness in inserting the
little bit about the children for the sake of all those who take an
interest in their welfare, such as their own few relatives and also the
ladies working in large sewing parties at Rock Ferry, Claughton, Fairbeld
and Waterloo making pretty clothes for the outfits for these dear children
whom we are rescuing from poverty to plenty, for in Canada they get new
homes and are well supervised. My daughter remains at the Sheltering Home
in Myrtle Street with other helpers to receive children for another party
later on, Age, suitable boys, 10 to 14, girls 4 to 14
Yours
Louisa Birt
Steamship Numidian, enroute to Canada Feb 19, 1897
The Liverpool Courier
Liverpool, Lancashire
Monday Oct 11, 1897
page 4
The Sheltering Home
To the Editor of the Daily Post
Sir - I have just returned from placing out our fifty first party of
children in Canada and have already entered upon our twenty sixth winter
of work among the destitute widows and orphans of Liverpool. Needy boys
and girls can be received any day by applying at the Sheltering Home
between 10 and 4 o'clock. Our experience this year in Canada is that
the good openings for our boys and girls are still very numerous and as
Canada seems to entering on a more prosperous season there is likely to
be a great demand for our young people next year. So many of the older
hands are going off to the new railways in the far west that the farmers
in the eastern part of Canada will likely find themselves shorter of help
than ever after next spring. The harvest has been abundant and prices are
good and so they will be in a position to pay better wages. The outlook
here in Lancashire seems sufficiently gloomy and therefore we think that
it is a wise thing to assist and encourage the emigration of young people
who are willing to go and build homes in the new land under our Queen's
rule. Help them to go while young and they will have fewer bad habits to
unlearn and will easily adopt to the ways of a new colony and will, as
they grow older, become helpers of others.
One of our girls who was brought up by a Canadian farmer and who married
his son, has adopted the youngest child we took out this summer having
no children of her own. Several other of our boys and girls, now married,
have given homes and employment to our younger ones. Many send for a
younger brother or sister and find homes for them near themselves.
Contributions are very much needed to enable us to close out financial year
on the 31 inst without debt. About 500 pounds is required. Will friends help
before this date? Gifts will be gratefully received and acknowledged by our
home manager, E C Thin, Esq, 24 Chapel Street and by yours truly
Louisa Birt
Oct 5, 1897
The Times
London, England,
Thursday, Oct 13, 1904
page 13
Child Emigration to Canada
From a Correspondent
On September 8, 1903 The Times called attention in a leading article to
the satisfactory report received by the Canadian Government from its
Inspector of British Immigrant Children. Another annual report from the
same inspector has now been issued by the Department of Interior at Ottawa.
It covers only the year ended on June 30, 1902 but its late publication
is its only unsatisfactory feature and there is every reason to believe
that the past years work will prove to have been equally good.
In the year ended June 30, 1902 it may be remembered that 1,721 children
had been received in Canada by various charitable societies engaged in
this work and 1,877 were placed in situations. In the year now under
review the received was 1.979 and the number placed was as high as 3,019.
Dr Barnardo's Institutions, as before, easily head the list with 1,150
received and 1,823 placed. A long way behind Dr Barnardo's institutions
come Mrs. Birt's home at Knowlton, Quebec, where 158 children were received
the Catholic Emigration Association, with 151 arrivals at its home in
Montreal; Mr. J T Middlemore's home at Halifax, Nova Scotia with 127
arrivals; the Canadian Catholic Emigration Society, with 125; the Church
of England's Waifs' and Strays' Society, with 80; the Rev R Wallace's home
at Belleville, Ontario with 75; Mr. Fegan's home at Toronto with 46; and Dr
T Bowman Stephenson's home at Hamilton, Ontario with 41. The Bristol
Emigration Society sent out 13 children to New Brunswick and four children
are credited to the East End Emigration Fund. Commenting on the fact that
he could not trace some of the children who had left the places obtained
for them by the Bristol society, the inspector says that "this would have
been obviated had they placed out under a written indenture' but on the
whole this children's society, like the rest, were found to be doing
satisfactorily.
In his general review of the year's work, the Inspector says -
"As far as I have been able to ascertain, this is the only colony of the
Empire to which emigration of dependent and necessitous children is
systemically promoted ... In view of the extraordinary demand, the details
of which will be found appended, it is well within reason to anticipate a
still greater influx of juveniles from Great Britain during the approaching
12 months. The fitness of the immigrant boy for farm life and work is
generally admitted. They are sought after for, I may say, almost
exclusively by farmers. I find, with very few exceptions, they are soon
accustom themselves to their changed conditions and surroundings, and
become very useful. On the whole they are bright and intelligent and of
those who are attending school not a few are regarded by their teachers
as amongst the cleverest of their pupils. Not infrequently the teachers
commented on the evident thoroughness of the previous tuition. It is
difficult to determine with exactness the ratio of failure and successes,
using the term failure in a general sense, but, from personal observation
and enquiry, I have no hesitation in saying that fully 95 percent have
proved satisfactory. The importance of careful training which they receive
prior to emigration cannot be overestimated. In general the health of the
children under supervision has been most satisfactory. There need by no
apprehension concerning the treatment of children by their employers. Our
social habits are such that any act of injustice towards a child would be
quickly known and resented by people living in the neighborhood. The demand
for juvenile labor of this particular class has reached extraordinary
proportions and excellent homes and situations are available for the
carefully selected boys and girls. The societies have found it impossible
to supply all applicants ... That the work of the societies has never
received due appreciation is in a measure attributable to the fact that it
is the work of the future rather than of immediate effect and in a measure
to the further fact that for the past three decades it has been carried
on unostentatiously .. There is labor in Canada for all who are willing
to work and being in an agricultural country the very wise policy has
been adopted by the societies of placing the children , as far as
possible, with farmers. The result has been that thousands of worthy
children, deprived of proper homes and opportunities in the old country,
have been taught the sowing and harvesting of crops, care of livestock,
and in short the modus operandi of the farm. Many have become owners of
farms, others tenant farmers, at a comparatively early age and are
participating in the general prosperity of the country."
As a larger number of children than usual had been sent to Manitoba and
the North West Territories, a Winnipeg official was deputed to make a
minute and careful report on their progress in their new homes. At the
close of his investigation he declared the children were giving general
satisfaction and he concluded his report by saying - "In a word, the
benevolent institutions in England which prepare these children for
distribution are doing a great, successful and salutary work, which
deserves every species of encouragement at the hands of the Canadian
people."The inspector states that he gives special attention to children
put in charge of the emigrating societies by boards of guardians in the
mother country; and his summary of the conditions governing this transfer
of authority may be new even to home readers. In each case the society
undertakes to furnish both the Canadian Government and the board of
guardian the name and age of the child and the address of its employer,
a copy of this report being supplied by the guardians and the local
Government Board. The society undertakes to place the children in
Protestant or Roman Catholic households according as their stated creed
is Protestant or Roman Catholic; and before emigration each child must
have had at least 6 months of instruction under the board of guardians
or in a public elementary school.
The Times, London, UK,
Sep 13, 1907; pg. 2; Issue 38437; col F
DEPARTURE OF EMIGRANTS. --Dr. Barnardo's Homes, which for many years
past have carried out a scheme of emigration of selected children to
Canada and the Colonies, sent off from Paddington yesterday morning
their fourth and last party for the current year; 135 of their boys and
100 girls left London for Liverpool, where they embarked in the
afternoon on board the Dominion for Canada. Including these, 1,081 boys
and girls have been sent forth by the homes in 1907, and their grand
total of emigrants since the scheme was originated is now 19,276. Of
these 98 percent. have done well. --- A party of emigrants who are
being sent out by the Joint Emigration Committee of the East End Fund
and Charity Organization Society left Euston on Wednesday evening for
Liverpool to join the steamship Dominion, of the Dominion Line, for
Canada. This brings the number of those who have been sent out by the
committee this season up to more than 6,000, as compared with 3, 955
last year. The party are going out to join friends who have already
settled in Canada. Mr. Robert Culver, the secretary of the committee,
who has just returned from the Dominion, states that the families which
he was able to visit were doing well and there were no complaints. An
appeal is being made for further funds to enable the committee to send
out a large number of people whose cases have been passed as suitable.
(The September 1907 passenger list for the Dominion included Victoria
Maude BURROWS, b 1897, and her half-sister Rose Agnes BURROWS, b 1899,
both born in Orpington, Kent to Alice BURROWS.)
The Times
London, England,
Tuesday May 24, 1910
page 45
An extensive work in juvenile emigration to Canada is carried on by a
number of societies and institutions; during the past eight years 16,
1610 children have been received and the number is increasing. In his
report for 1909 Mr. Bogue Smith, the official inspector of British
immigrant children for the Canadian Government, enumerates 19 agencies.
By the far the largest. most active and most systematic is Dr.
Barnardos's Homes; they may have be taken as the best type of this work.
Out of a total of 2,424 children received in 1909 the Barnardo Homes
accounted for 1,034 or 42.6 per cent. The next largest agencies were
the Catholic Emigration Association with 308; Miss Macpherson's Home
at Stratford, Ontario with 175; The Fairknowe Home, Brockville with 173;
Mr. Middlemore, Halifax with 152, Mrs. Birt, Knowlton, with 142. These
are all receiving and distributing home in Canada; the children come
from various sources, public and philanthropic, in the United Kingdom.
The pioneer in juvenile emigration was Miss Rye who took out a party
in 1869. About the same time Miss Macpherson began and she established
three receiving homes. Her work, continuously carried out ever since,
is represented by two of the original homes at Knowlton and Belleville
(for Scotch children) and by one in Stratford. A little later Mr. Quarrier
established the Fairknowe Home at Brockville, also for Scotch children;
and Dr Barnardo began his emigration work. The Barnardo children come
from the Barnardo Homes in England and they are received at the society's
own homes is Canada of which there are four - at Toronto, Peterborough
(girls) and Winnipeg. Other English philanthropic societies also have
their own receiving homes in Canada; the Catholic Emigration Society at
Ottawa; the Church of England Waifs and Strays Society of Sherbrooke
(boys) and Niagara (girls).
The London Times
Saturday, Feb 2, 1924
page 9
English Boy's Suicide in Canada
(From our own Correspondent)
Mr. J. Benson Cox, the employer of Charles Bulpitt, the 16 year old
English boy who hanged himself on a farm in Huron County, has been
charged with assault and with beating the boy and has been sentenced
to two months' imprisonment in Goderich gaol. The defense admitted
frequent whippings but claimed the right of punishment on the ground
that the boy was an apprentice. The magistrate ruled that the boy was
not an apprentice but was hired at $75 a year and that Cox had no right
to lay hands on him.
******
The Southampton board of guardians will discuss the case on Tuesday.
The Weekly Dispatch says inquiries are being made in London regarding
the system of inspecting homes in Canada to which boy emigrants are sent.
Prosecution Recommended
(Canadian Press Dispatch)
The Times
London, England
Saturday, Sept 22, 1928
page 9
Telegrams in Brief
A verdict of Suicide was returned at the inquest at North Gower on
Thursday, on John Wilson, an immigrant boy who was found shot on a
farm near Ottawa. The British Immigration and Colonization Association
under whose auspices Wilson went out to Canada, was represented at the
inquest, and the evidence showed that the boy had been well treated by
his employer and had expressed contentment with his new surroundings.
John Wilson's death registration reads as follows
John Wilson
place of death: Con 6, lot 8 Marlboro
male, English, single
Age: 15 years, 10 months, 22 days
Place of birth: not given
Occupation: on a farm
Length of residence: 3 weeks at place of death, 2 months and 4 days in Ont
Name of Father: not given
Name of Mother: not given
Physician: Dr John E Craig, Ottawa
Place of Burial, North Gower, Anglican cemetery
Date of burial, Sept 4, 1928
Name of Undertaker: Craig and McCul?, North Gower
Date of Death: Sept 3, 1928
Cause of death: gunshot in left temple, self inflicted
Based on the time it says he was in Canada this may be him arriving in
Canada
John Wilson, age 15, English, arrived June 30, 1928 in Quebec on the
Cunard ship, Andania
The Times
London, England
Friday, Sept 13, 1935, page 9
First Party for New Farm School
A party of 44 children, the first to leave England for the new Fairbridge
Farm School on Vancouver Island - which is being modeled on the lines of
the original school in Australia - sail today in the Canadian Pacific
liner Duchess of Athol for Montreal and British Columbia. The farm, of
1000 acres in the beautiful Cowichan Valley was acquired by the Child
Emigration Society early this year as a result of the appeal opened by
the Prince of Wales in June, 1934, and it is now known as the Prince Of
Wales' Fairbridge Farm School. It is under the charge of Major M. F. Trew,
who described it in The Times of April 22.
The 44 children, who are from 6 to 13 years of age, have been drawn from
the Tyneside, Birmingham, and London areas, rather more than half of them
coming from the first named district. Since they assembled in London they
have been fitted out with clothing and other necessities by a generous
friend of the Child Emigration Society.
In reminding the children that it was because of the generosity and
interest of the Prince of Wales that their new school had been established,
Mr. McAdam stated that he had received a message from the Prince, who
sent his best wishes for a good journey to Canada and for their success
in the future. With the enthusiastic approval of the children, he sent
a reply conveying their appreciation of the Prince's kindness and their
loyal greetings.
Sir George McLaren Brown, European general manager of the Canadian Pacific
Railway Company, recalled that he and lady McLaren Brown knew the site
of the school in their young days and told the children that they were
going to one of the best places in Canada that he knew. They were going
out to a school founded by a great man and they would be given every
opportunity to develop into useful men and women.
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