Together Trust Archive

Last week we looked at the different types of boys that were admitted to the Strangeway Homes at the turn of the century. This week we turn to the set of homes at Cheetham Hill to give a breakdown of the type of girls that found their way into the charity’s care. Elder girls in the laundry at Rosen Hallas

The Annual Report of 1909 gave a breakdown of the type of boys admitted to the Strangeways Homes at that time.   Boys at the Refuge were admitted for all kinds of reasons 

On the 9th October 1896 a policeman turned up to the Children’s Shelter on Chatham Street bringing with him a 15 year old boy. After many months tramping around the country Tom had found himself in Manchester, destitute and alone. Originally from Liverpool, the family had moved to Dartford where Tom’s father drove an omnibus. A  ‘very wild character and of loose habits’  Tom was abandoned when his father fell heavily into debt and ran off.   Tom's Application Form

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

In 1872 the first nine boys were sent from the Manchester Refuges to Marchmont Home , Belleville, under the care of Annie Macpherson . They were the first of 2129 children to make the long trip to Canada.  Plaque outside Marchmont Home, Belleville

It’s that time of the year again when we open our gates and welcome everyone to our 94th Cheadle Festival . Over the years it has been called the Belmont Garden Fete and the Bethesda Festival , but however it is known it still aims to create a fun day out to the local community. Ticket from 1939

Harriet Smethurst was Matron of the orphan homes at Cheetham Hill from 1886 until 1923. Within this time she made 20 round trips across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada, in charge of the various emigration parties of girls from Manchester. In the 1896 July edition of the Children’s Haven , Harriet gives a detailed description of one of these trips.  Girls’ Emigration Party 1898

The Together Trust has a a series of books in its archive designed to promote the workings of the charity to the Manchester and Salford community. Originally seen in a section of a magazine written by the charity as an offshoot to its committee's Christian missionary interests, known as The Christian Worker, it expanded into a magazine wholly dedicated to the charity from 1895 when it became  The Children’s Haven.  The latter aimed to disseminate news of the charity, encourage donations and advertise events and meetings to the public.  Children’s page from The Christian Worker

Today we tell a story from the Children’s Haven in regards to Thomas, a Refuge boy who ended up on the charity’s training ship, the Indefatigable . Thomas first came to the attention of the Manchester and Salford Refuge in 1896 when he turned up at midnight at the open-all-night shelter on Chatham Street, accompanied by a policeman. At the tender age of 12 years he had been sleeping on the streets of Manchester as he had nowhere else to go. Thomas on admittance

Thousands of children lived in extreme poverty in Manchester and Salford during the nineteenth century. In the days before the welfare state there were few systems in place to provide aid to those who were unable to work. For parents with young children and families to raise, life could be incredibly tough. So what were the options available to those living on the breadline?  Manchester Street Lads

With the 100 year anniversary of the start of the Gallipoli Campaign coming up on Saturday it seemed apt to have a look at this famous campaign and its links with the Manchester Refuges. The Campaign intended to secure the Gallipoli peninsula, a strait which provided a sea route to the Russian Empire. A naval attack was launched with the aim of capturing the Ottoman capital of Constantinople . This was eventually repelled and after eight months of fighting, with many casualties on both sides, the land campaign was abandoned and the invasion force was withdrawn to Egypt. Marines