Together Trust Archive

Like many archives across the UK and Ireland, we have been sharing stories and images from the archive on Twitter for Explore Your Archive 2020.

Dear Interested party The charity is now two weeks into its new venture, providing a home for boys in a small building on Quay Street. There are now 16 residents aged 11-16 who enter the refuge each night, have supper, sleep on hammocks, receive breakfast and then leave for the day.  It may be interesting to note the few rules we have established to those who ask for admission: We desire in no case to interfere with the duty of the parent, and therefore consider boys who have parents living in Manchester ineligible, except under very special circumstances. As we propose to help those only who can help themselves, boys who will not do so are not eligible. We were at first reluctant to help boys whom still have parents alive, as it is parents duty to provide for their child. Similarly, we believe boys should understand the importance of contributing to their own wellbeing so we only provide for those who were prepared to work. Despite our strong protestant beliefs, no reference i...

Last week’s blog centred round the will of Leonard Kilbee Shaw and the distribution of his final assets. A portion of this went to his adopted son, Robert , who we have mentioned once before in this blog. Robert is an interesting character, not least because of his mysterious beginnings and unknown connection to Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, prior to being adopted by them. We know little about his upbringing and consequent life. However, the release of new documents can often start a new trail to discovery.  Records

It’s been 114 y ears since the Together Trust lost its founder. A man still largely unknown to many, we’ve discussed through several of our blogs the work he did within the charity. From the very beginnings of opening a small home for boys on Quay Street, to the many different homes and services that were running during his lifetime, he left a legacy that continues today.  Leonard Kilbee Shaw

When the Manchester Refuges began in 1870 it catered for children in some of the most dire straits. The slum areas of Angel Meadow, Ancoats and Blackfriars spewed out dirty, ragged and half starved children that were often in need of assistance from the church or charities to avoid the dreaded shadow of the Workhouse .  In the Manchester Slums

On the 22nd July it will be 113 years since the death of the Manchester Refuge’s founder, Leonard Kilbee Shaw . The vision and work of Shaw set the foundation stones of the charity, which continues to thrive today as the Together Trust .  Recreation Ground, Cheetham, 1906

We told a story all the way back in 2011 about twelve lads who set sail from our orphans homes across to Northfield in Massachusetts under the guardianship of the well known preacher Dwight Lyman Moody . The recent digitisation of our orphan home books by Borthwick Archives , at the end of last year, has revealed more information about the younger children who entered our homes, including the individual circumstances of the Moody party. 

Out of all of the individuals associated with the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes there is one name that continues to frustrate me. This gentleman has a continued presence around the illustrious name of the charity and yet we know very little about him. That person is Robert Shaw, only son of our founder Leonard Shaw and his wife Annie . 

We all know the story by now – on the 4th January 1870 two businessmen, Leonard Shaw and Richard Taylor opened a ‘Night Refuge for Homeless Boys’ at 16 Quay Street , Manchester. This provided primitive accommodation for up to 40 boys as well as work within messenger and shoeblack brigades set up by the charity. Shaw and Taylor excelled at setting up the home and ensuring sponsors and assistance from members of the community. What they did not have experience in however, was caring for the boys themselves. This problem was solved by the appointment of a couple from London, Walter Thurlow Browne and his wife Emma. They became the first Master and Matron of the Quay Street home providing care and support to the boys. Walter T Browne on the back row 

The 19th century was notable for the men and women who devoted themselves to the service of destitute children. Lord Shaftesbury of London, Miss Annie Macpherson of Stratford, Thomas John Barnardo , Leonard K. Shaw, William Quarrier of Glasgow,and Edward Rudolf of the Children’s Society formed a group of philanthropists which strove to better living conditions for children. Leonard Shaw

“Such was the acorn from which sprang the magnificent tree of philanthropic growth, which now casts the branching shadows of its saving agencies far and wide over this great city wherever sorrowful outcasts are to be found.” - Manchester Courier, 28 June 1902  I’m veering off topic a little today and looking into a building connected with the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes, but not one under its jurisdiction. In fact it’s a very important little building that lies just off the main road off Deansgate on Queen’s Street. It catered for ragged children in the area in the nineteenth century, providing free education and often their main meal for the day.  Loc ation of Queen Street Ragged School

We have had another exciting donation for our archive collection this week.  First Page of Daddy's Bobby Book

Soon after the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes opened its doors back in the wintry months of 1870 the Committee issued its foundation principles: To receive homeless and destitute children found in Manchester and Salford and District To give immediate admission to such without distinction of creed To provide such with suitable food, clothing and industrial training To educate such in Christian principles based on the Bible only.  The charity’s founders Mr Leonard Shaw and Mr Richard Taylor , along with the rest of the Committee, were all of the Protestant faith. Their impetus to help the ‘waifs and strays’ on the streets of Manchester, all stemmed from their desire to carry out their Christian duties and they were heavily involved in their local churches. Boys were admitted to the Refuge whatever their creed

“She hath done what she could.” So reads the gravestone for Mrs Leonard Shaw who served the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes for 53 years of her life. Looking back at the blogs of late, it is noticeable the influences male individuals had on the charity. The early committee was made up entirely of men who ran the services and made visits to the slum area’s offering shelter to those living on the streets. 

When the formation of the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes took place on the 4th January 1870, it was all down to the endeavours of two men, Leonard Kilbee Shaw and Richard Bramwell Taylor. It was the passionate and personable Shaw however, who stood as the face of the charity in its early days. Although little has been written about Shaw, even less has come to light about his friend and co-founder Richard Taylor. Today we attempt to address this to a small degree. Richard Bramwell Taylor c. 1900

We hope all our readers had a fantastic Christmas! In the Central Refuge Yard, 1890 As always, as we welcome in the New Year, the Together Trust celebrates another 12 months of helping people break through barriers. The beginning of January is always a special time of the year for the charity as it takes pride in its long illustrious history and celebrates another birthday. Today we reach the grand old age of 143! I thought we’d celebrate this wondrous event with two images taken from one of our older photograph albums. The first was taken in the Refuge Yard on Francis Street, Manchester and shows a group photograph of the Caxton Brigade alongside Mr Shaw , one of the charity's founders.

As we approach the Diamond Jubilee weekend, marking sixty years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, it got me thinking of the three previous coronations partaken in, since the Together Trust was founded in 1870. The coronation of a new King or Queen was an opportunity for communities to come together and celebrate. This was true for the Refuge who saw it as an opportunity to reach out to children beyond those being cared for in their various homes. Invitation to a Coronation Day Party in June 1902

In preparation for St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday it seemed apt to have an Irish theme to this week’s blog. Of course our founder Leonard Kilbee Shaw originated from Dublin , Ireland, but there were also a number of children who passed through the charity’s doors seeking refuge, who had come from the same Emerald Isle. Today we are focussing on one of those children’s stories... Cake made for the Together Trust's St. Patrick's Day Party, March 2012

Did you attend Manchester Histories Festival on Saturday 3rd March? The celebration day in Manchester Town Hall attracted a whole host of organisations all intent on one thing – celebrating the incredible history of our beloved city. And what a history it is… Manchester Town Hall

Imagine this... ...it’s 1870 and as a wealthy member of Manchester’s higher society you are strolling through the streets of Manchester, maybe after a trip to the Theatre Royal on Peter Street, when suddenly a small boy approaches you. “Buy a newspaper sir?” he pleads. Looking at him you can see he is barely over 8 years old. He’s small for his age after a lifetime of living in a crowded basement flat in Angel Meadow , rarely getting enough to eat and being largely neglected by his careless parents. Their only words are to tell him to not bother coming home until he has enough money to buy them their drink for the night. It’s coming up to midnight and the anxious look on his face tells you that tonight he has not achieved this… Street hawkers