In 1739, Thomas Coram was dismayed at the sight of children dying on the dung heaps of London. These children, mostly foundlings and orphans, were products of a poverty-stricken society where the attitude towards babies born outside of wedlock meant a life of rejection and inferiority. After 17 years of campaigning, Coram managed to persuade sufficient 'persons of quality and distinction' to support his petition to the King to grant a Royal Charter for the building of the Foundling Hospital in Bloomsbury. Over the next few years, children were brought to the Foundling Hospital for shelter. There they were provided with excellent health care and education fit for their station in life before apprenticing they boys to learn a trade and the girls to domestic service. This fascinating history of the first children's charity charts the rise of this incredible institution, and examines the attitude towards foundlings as illegitimate children over the years. Reliving the experience through the voices of past members of the hospital, this book is a fascinating social history of one of London's worst cases of poverty.
Autorentext
GILLIAN PUGH retired in 2005 after eight years as chief executive of Coram Family. She is currently working as advisor to the government and to local authorities on children's services and is visiting professor at the Institute of Education in London. She was awarded the DBE in 2005 for services to children and families.
Zusammenfassung
In 1739, the London Foundling Hospital opened its doors to take in the abandoned children of the city. It was the culmination of seventeen years of campaigning by Captain Thomas Coram, driven by his horror at seeing children die in the streets. He was supported in his endeavours by a royal charter and by William Hogarth and George Frideric Handel. The Hospital would continue as both home and school for over 215 years, raising thousands of children until they could be apprenticed out. London's Forgotten Children is a fascinating history of the first children's charity, charting the rise of this incredible institution and examining the attitude towards illegitimate children over the years. The story comes alive with the voices of children who grew up in the Hospital, and the concluding, fully updated, account of today's children's charity Coram is an ongoing testament to the vision of its founder.
Titel
London's Forgotten Children
Untertitel
Thomas Coram and the Foundling Hospital
Autor
EAN
9780752480206
ISBN
978-0-7524-8020-6
Format
E-Book (epub)
Hersteller
Herausgeber
Veröffentlichung
30.11.2011
Digitaler Kopierschutz
Wasserzeichen
Dateigrösse
12.23 MB
Anzahl Seiten
192
Jahr
2011
Untertitel
Englisch
Unerwartete Verzögerung
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