Prior to 1886 there was only one orphanage for railway
worker’s children in Britain, run by Midland Railway employees at Derby from
1875 and housing children from all over the country.[3] In November 1883 a letter
to The Hampshire Advertiser noted that the daughter of William Parker, a
L&SWR platelayer who had been killed the year before, had been admitted this
home.[4] Like the L&SWR employee’s orphanage would be, the Derby institution was
independent from the Midland Railway and was run on voluntary contributions.[5] Yet, by1883 it was
reaching capacity and this fact may have been the impetus for an orphanage
being started for the children of L&SWR employees.[6]
In 1884 the Rev. Canon Allen Edwards, who was known as
the ‘railwaymen’s parson’, set about raising support and funds.[7] An article
in the Gazette in January 1885 noted
that many important individuals, both inside and outside the railway company, had
already volunteered contributions. The list included names such as the
company’s ex-General Manager, Archibald Scott, its Deputy Chairman, Wyndam S.
Portal, the Right Honourable the Lord Cairns, and the Bishop of Winchester. In
total, twenty-one notable individuals had given financial support, with nine
individuals pledging to contribute in the future. The goal of the orphanage was given as the
following:
‘It has long been considered necessary that a home should
be provided for the orphans of men who, at the time of their death, were in the
service of the London and South Western Railway Company, leaving families
unprovided for, such accident being the result of accident or natural cause.’
The orphanage’s organisation was headed by a small
committee of railwaymen, none of whom were L&SWR managers. Furthermore, there were
sub-committees at each of the principal stations to put up children as
candidates for entry into the home. These candidates were voted on by the
subscribers, who each received a vote for each five shilling donation to the orphanage. The
regional committees were also responsible for raising funds for the orphanage’s
operations and the sending of a representative to the central committee.[8]
The orphanage opened in March 1886 at a private house in
Jeffreys Road, Clapham; the initial intake being ‘ten fatherless girls’ under the age of fourteen.[9] The next elections for entry came in October 1886 and the Gazette
listed the circumstances of eight children who had been candidates for entry. The circumstances of the three that successfully entered the home were as
follows:
1. Nellie Short, Father, a porter was killed in 1885.
Mother has seven children, one in service; the rest she provides for by her own
labour. – 504 votes
2. Ellen Elizabeth Hicks, Father, a brakesman, died in
1886. Mother has three young children and provides for them almost entirely by
her own labour. – 412 votes
3. Edith Flora Burningham, Father a horse inspector died in
February this year. Mother has eight children, three of whom are earning a
little money. – 266 votes[10]
As the number of children in the home increased more space was
required. Thus, the orphanage committee acquired the house next door in 1894, allowing it
to accommodate a total of fifty girls. Yet, by this point it was felt that a
home for boys was required, and a year later another house in Jeffreys Road was
purchased, which by the start of 1896 was housing twenty-six boys. But the number of orphanages housed continued rising and in 1900 the committee purchased a larger house in Guildford Road, South Lambeth, to
which all the girls transferred.[11]
While many of these developments were funded by the
contributions of railway workers, large donations were made by individuals from
within the railway company. The General Manager of the company between 1885 and
1897, Sir Charles Scotter, and his wife, Annie, were major supporters of the
orphanage. The new home for boys in 1895 was purchased with a donation of 100
guineas from Scotter and for this reason Annie’s name was on the building.[12]
Furthermore, the new home for girls in 1900 was purchased with a contribution
of 500 guineas from the L&SWR’s directors.[13] Lastly, funds were also
raised through fairs, such as one at Basingstoke in 1887,[14] and concerts, for
example one the Duchess of Albany attended at Eastleigh in 1892.[15] Thus, the
activities supporting the orphanage exemplified the community spirit that existed
within the L&SWR between railway workers themselves, and between the
company’s management and their employees.
By the early 1900s the two homes were again reaching capacity and a new site was sought. Indeed, with £2,800 bequeathed from Mr Thomas Parker Harvey a new orphanage was opened in Woking in 1909. The building of this institution, and its work in the 1920s, will be the subject of the next post.[16]
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[1] South Western
Gazette, 7 July 1888, p.4
[2] South Western
Gazette, June 1881, p.5
[3] http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=026-d3732&cid=0#0
[4] The Hampshire
Advertiser, Saturday, November 24, 1883; pg. 6; Issue 3907
[5] South Western
Gazette, December 1886, p.187
[6] The Hampshire
Advertiser, Saturday, November 24, 1883; pg. 6; Issue 3907
[7] Unknown Author, ‘London and South Western Servants
Orphanage’, South Western Railway Magazine, Vol. VII No. 70 (January, 1921), p.2
[8] South Western
Gazette, January 1885, p.3
[9] Unknown Author, ‘London and South Western Servants
Orphanage’, p.2
[10] South Western
Gazette, December 1886, p.187
[11] Unknown Author, ‘London and South Western Servants
Orphanage’, p.2-3
[12] South Western
Gazette, 1 January, 1911, p.9
[13] Unknown Author, ‘London and South Western Servants
Orphanage’, p.2-3
[14] The Hampshire
Advertiser, Wednesday, July 20, 1887; pg. 2; Issue 4288
[15] The Hampshire
Advertiser, Saturday, April 09, 1892; pg. 8; Issue 4782
[16] Unknown Author, ‘London and South Western Servants
Orphanage’, p.2-3
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