Stories of Manchester Street Life

We have had another exciting donation for our archive collection this week. 

First Page of Daddy's Bobby Book

The Together Trust has a number of publications in its collection written by the secretaries of the Manchester Refuges. These were largely created by Leonard Shaw and Gilbert Kirlew to promote the work of the charity to the public. They were often stories taken from the characters that frequented the Central Refuge and other charity homes and were designed to pull on the heartstrings of potential donors.

Pamphlet advertising the charity

This new donation is a book called ‘Daddy's Bobby; or, the Star of Bethlehem’ and consists of various stories written about Manchester street life. It was sold by the Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Children’s Aid Society and described stories of the children who had entered their care. The book had been given by ‘a friend’ and remained in the family’s possession until donating it to the charity this week. As a publication that was previously unknown to the Together Trust it is a welcome addition to the archive. 

 

‘If, after a perusal of these pages, a more practical loving sympathy be born towards the stray lambs of Christ’s flock who haunt like an evil dream the streets of all our great towns and cities, the Authors feel their mission will have been accomplished, that they will not have written vainly.’