St Vincent's Orphanage for Boys, Torquay, Devon
St Vincent's Orphanage for Roman Catholic Boys was established in 1889 at Teignmouth Road, Torre, Torquay. It accommodated boys who had previously been housed at the mixed St Teresa's Orphanage in Plymouth. Like St Teresa's, St Vincent's was run by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul on behalf of the Plymouth Rescue Society.
On 14th October 1889, the establishment was accredited as a Certified School allowing it to take boys boarded out by the workhouse authorities who were charged 4s. a week for each child. The home also received orphans and destitute boys. Initially, the premises provided places for up to 60 boys, aged under 14 at their time of admission. By 1920, the capacity had been increased to 150 places.
Like many homes, St Vincent's held regular fund-raising fetes and fairs. The picture below, taken at one such event in May 1909, show a group of boys dressed as first-aiders.
The home closed in 1982. The buildings no longer survive and Mount Stuart Hospital now stands on the site.
Records
Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.
- Catholic Children's Society (Plymouth), St Boniface House, Ashburton, Newton Abbot TQ13 7JL. Has Register of children (1889-1982).
Bibliography
- Certified Schools page on this website.
Links
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