St Michael's Home for Boys, Chislehurst, Kent
The St Michael's Home for Boys was founded in 1855 by Miss Marie Anderson and her sister. It began life in a small cottage but moved, in 1861, to a much larger property at the edge of Chislehurst Common. The home could then accommodate around 30 boys aged from 3 to 12, with Miss Anderson as the resident superintendent.
St Michael's Home for Boys, Chislehurst, c.1895. © Peter Higginbotham
In 1895, the home was taken over by the Waifs and Strays Society. The boys attended the nearby school. They were also taught needlework and embroidery, and made items such as cotton mats and netted string bags. Their work was displayed, to much admiration, as part of the St Michael's Day celebrations held at the home on September 29th each year.
Master, matron and boys at St Michael's Home for Boys, Chislehurst, c.1895. © Peter Higginbotham
Nursery children at St Michael's Home for Boys, Chislehurst, c.1900. © Peter Higginbotham
Christmas entertainment at St Michael's Home for Boys, Chislehurst, 1905. © Peter Higginbotham
St Michael's Home for Boys, Chislehurst, c.1906. © Peter Higginbotham
St Michael's Home for Boys, Chislehurst, c.1930. © Peter Higginbotham
Fancy-dress costumes at St Michael's Home for Boys, Chislehurst, c.1920. © Peter Higginbotham
During the Second World War, the home was initially evacuated to a large house known as Guy's Cliffe, on Coventry Road, Warwick, but the boys were subsequently distributed amongst other Society homes.
After the war, St Michael's was used as a home for young children until its final closure in around 1975.
The property is now in private residential use.
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.
- Index of the Society's first 30,000 children's case files ordered by surname.
- Index of the Society's first 30,000 children's case files ordered by date of birth.
- The Children's Society Records and Archive Centre is at Unit 25, Springfield House, 5 Tyssen Street, London E8 2LZ (email: archives@childrenssociety.org.uk). Files for children admitted to its homes after September 1926 were microfilmed in the 1980s and the originals destroyed. Some post-1926 files had already been damaged or destroyed during a flood. The Society's Post-Adoption and Care Service provides access to records, information, advice, birth record counselling, tracing and intermediary service for people who were in care or adopted through the Society.
- The Society has produced detailed catalogues of its records relating to disabled children, and of records relating to the Children's Union (a fundraising body mostly supported from the contributions of children).
Bibliography
- Bowder, Bill Children First: a photo-history of England's children in need (1980, Mowbray)
- Church of England Waifs and Strays' Society [Rudolfe, Edward de Montjoie] The First Forty Years: a chronicle of the Church of England Waifs and Strays' Society 1881-1920 (1922, Church of England Waifs and Strays' Society / S.P.C.K.)
- Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain's Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
- Morris, Lester The Violets Are Mine: Tales of an Unwanted Orphan (2011, Xlibris Corporation) — memoir of a boy growing up in several of the Society's homes (Princes Risborough, Ashdon, Hunstanton, Leicester) in the 1940s and 50s.
- Rudolf, Mildred de Montjoie Everybody's Children: the story of the Church of England Children's Society 1921-1948 (1950, OUP)
- Stroud, John Thirteen Penny Stamps: the story of the Church of England Children's Society (Waifs and Strays) from 1881 to the 1970s (1971, Hodder and Stoughton)
Links
- Hidden Lives Revealed — the story of the children who were in the care of The Children's Society in late Victorian and early 20th Century Britain.
- The Children's Society
Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.
