Together Trust Archive

Our case files that sit at Manchester Archives take up around 11.5 linear meters in space. Each case file, which exist from 1886, contains details of every single child that entered one of the Manchester Refuges’ Homes. These can vary in content for the genealogist searching for details on their ancestor’s past. Some contain only an application form. To many this is the most important find, as it details previous addresses, family members and circumstances leading up to admission. Other files can be bursting at the seams with documents pertaining to that individual’s life.  Envelopes for case files

It is said with fashion that when it goes out of style the look will invariably come back into use at a later date. This idea is not only restricted to fashion. Many things come in and out of popularity largely due to the successfulness of advertising at the time.  When the Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes began in 1870, despite the recognition and advantages the charity saw in the education of children, most were taught skills or a trade in order to be able to look after themselves and their future families. We’ve spoken before about apprenticeships within the blog but we’ve not shown our readers the type of work actually produced. Let’s take the joinery department as an impressive example.  Wardrobe made in joinery department

We’ve spoken before about the five different workshops located in the Central Refuge on Francis Street. These workshops; printing, shoemaking, tailoring, joinery and firewood were created to give the boys a skill and consequently a career for life. Documents of indenture were signed by the boys to a particular trade providing a contract between the apprentice and the Refuge.  Indenture of Apprenticeship

Looking back at our long history it seems strange to think of a time when the charity would only provide for boys. However for the first eight years of its existence, the Refuge did not take in girls. It wasn’t until 1878, with the opening of a detached house on Broughton Lane, that girls were provided for, for the first time. As more and more boys applied to the Refuge, those that investigated their circumstances were frequently coming across girls that needed aid. Rosen Hallas, George Street

Monday sees the start of National Apprenticeship Week , which takes place from 6th to 10th February 2012. National Apprenticeship Week aims to raise the profile of apprenticeships amongst employers, individuals, teachers, parents and the media. Of course Britain has a long history of apprenticeships , stretching back to the guilds of the Middle Ages. Here at the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes the charity partook in the training of apprentices for many of the boys who came into the Refuge on Francis Street, Strangeways. Carpentry department, Central Refuge, Strangeways