Following the archive trail

I have recently been exploring the charity's magazine, begun under the title The Christian Worker in 1879 and later becoming The Children's Haven in 1895 it was designed to promote Manchester and Salford Boys' and Girls' Refugees and Homes to the local community and encourage donations.

There was a proliferation of newspapers and magazines from the mid-nineteenth century influenced by increased literacy in the population, a rise in consumer spending and a reduction in the cost of production. The charity recognised that a magazine was an effective way of communicating their work and seeking support from the local community, much as the Trust's social media accounts do now.

There's one regular feature in the magazine sometimes called 'Notes of a Month's Work' or 'Leaves from the Diary of a Refuge...' which describe the circumstances under which children arrived at the Orphan Homes. These stories often describe young children in dire circumstances, the aim of course being to prompt donations from readers. Typical of this feature is the account of Sally and Cissie from 1886:

I searched for Sally and Cissie in the Orphan Home admission books from this time to see if I could find out more about them. Although there were no entries under these names, I did find entries for Clara and Sarah Jane, six year old twins whose circumstances closely match the description from the article. The admission book describes how the children had regularly been used for begging purposes by their mother who is described as 'vicious & bad.'

The entry gives a little more information about Clara and Sarah Jane, including how their father had died five years previously and how the children were sent to Lytham between January and June 1886. The charity's seaside home in Lytham opened in 1883 and was described as being a seaside convalescent home for 'delicate city children', giving an indication of the children's state of health on admission. We also learn that Clara and Sarah Jane sailed for Canada just a week after their return from Lytham.

We only have this brief snapshot of Clara and Sarah Jane's life story which leaves many questions about how the children fared growing up in Canada. The magazine article certainly did its job in provoking my interest in the lives of Victorian Manchester's most vulnerable residents and as the magazine continued until 1944 it seems to have been effective tool for the charity too.