Europe
Women and children – Custody of Children Act 1839
Children no longer just the property of their father, Caroline Norton influences the first piece of feminist legislation protecting their rights to how a child should be cared for…
Read More‘Lunatics’ and the Poor Law Act 1834
Asylums had been operating in Britain for hundreds of years, the first recorded was the Bethlem Royal Hospital established in the C15th and were run as private charitable institutions. The whole business was a haphazard affair until the Madhouse Act of 1774 which established licensing and yearly inspections of asylums. Still little provision was made…
Read MoreBirth Marriage Death Registration Act 1836
The Birth, Marriage and Death Registration Act of 1836, introduced registration of these life events but contained no penalties for refusal to register. It established the General Register Office and divided the country into registration districts. It became effective from 1st July 1837 Find the earliest registration of a life event in your tree…
Read MoreLord Shaftsbury built on John Pounds Ragged School idea…campaigned to improve the lot of working children
“The future hopes of a country must, under God, be laid in the character and condition of its children;…” Inspired by John Pounds and his own increasing religious conviction Lord Shaftsbury was a leader in social reform for children as the best way to improve society overall…
Read MoreFire Insurance Records
Fire Insurance Records. What an intriguing collection of resources for the family historian but it can take a bit of footwork to unearth. To help you to find out more about these records follow the links and find family history connections Some of these records have been made available through the hard work of volunteers…
Read MoreCharles Dickens – supporter of Ragged Schools
In 1843, Charles Dickens visited the Field Lane Ragged School and was so shocked and moved by what he saw there, he decided to write a pamphlet about it. Instead though he penned ‘A Christmas Carol’ as he thought he could reach more people through a novel. An intriguing connection is that John Pounds set…
Read MoreFirst Ragged School Portsmouth
In all history there are unsung heros and one of these must surely be John Pounds. Born in Portsmouth Hampshire, in 1766, John Pounds was crippled after a fall in the dockyards where he was an apprenticed shipwright. He became a shoemaker and was known as the crippled cobbler. There were many destitute children living…
Read MorePrison Hulks littered British Waterways…
Prison Hulks were moored off British Coast , prisoners held in dreadful conditions often whilst awaiting deportation to USA or Australia…
Read MoreWorkhouse Schools
More than 50% of those in Workhouses were children of the poor and often orphans. The Workhouse system was far from perfect but Workhouse schools at least offered some hope for a better educated and informed future. One of the turning points from Old Poor Law and bad ways to social reform and the fight for better rights for the unfortunate in society?
Read MoreWarwickshire Tithe Maps 1838 – 1853
Tithe maps are a great underused resource, containing surname data. They are also good fun because you can relate past land use to todays. These are the tithe maps that have so far been transcribed for the county of Warwickshire
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