The Nassau Senior Training School, Holland Park, London
In 1883, the Metropolitan Association for Befriending Young Servants (MABYS) opened its Nassau Senior Training School at 122 Cornwall Road (now Westbourne Park Road), Notting Hill, London W11. Its object was to train girls of good character for domestic service. The establishment was named after Jane Senior (Mrs Nassau Senior), who in 1873 had become the first female Poor Law Inspector in 1873, and whose interest in matters concerning children had included the suggestion a scheme for the aftercare of pauper girls leaving the workhouse, out of which MABYS was born. The School could accommodate 6 girls, aged 13 to 16 at their time of admission. On August 18th, 1884, the establishment became a Certified School, allowing to receive girls boarded out by the workhouse authorities. A weekly charge of 4s. was made for each inmate.
In 1905, the Home moved to larger premises at 35 St James' Square (now St James' Gardens), Holland Park, London W8. Up to 12 girls could now be accommodated, with the age range of new inmates being 14 to 16 years. By 1912, the weekly charge for each girl was 6s.
The Home closed at around the time of the First World War.
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.
- Fairly few records relating to MABYS appear to survive. Try using the National Archives Discovery system to search for either "Metropolitan Association For Befriending Young Servants" or "MABYS Association".
Bibliography
- Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain s Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
Links
- None identified at present.
Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.