A home for neglected motherless children

We recently had a request from a genealogist looking for an ancestor that was living at a house on Tetlow Lane, Broughton in the 1901 census.

Tetlow Grove House, Tetlow Lane

Although still in Cheetham Hill this building did not reside on George Street with many of the other charity’s homes. It had been opened in 1896 and was used as a home for ‘neglected motherless children’, most of whom were girls. This widened the principle of admission of orphan children, many of whom were returned to their fathers after a few years. 


                         Page from Tetlow Grove Admission Book M189/5/2/1/7

As can be seen by the above application however, it was not only motherless children that were admitted. Sometimes those who had lost fathers joined the 28 children who could be sheltered at the home. Most were of primary school age and were placed at the service temporarily until provision could be made for them to be returned to their family.
 
Tetlow Grove was rented from a local businessman for eight years. The archive still contains documents on the tenancy agreed and inspections that were carried out on the building. The admission book for this home also still remains. In 1904 the building was given up but the service remained being transferred to Number 8, George Street, formally one of the orphan homes, Higgins House.
 

"The equivalent of a good mother cannot be found we know, but a good substitute is worth much to each of these neglected ones, some of whom have never known what the name meant."

- Making Rough Places Plain, W. Edmondson (1921) p.130