Tag: Surrey History Centre

18th Century, History

More from the Philanthropic Society

In my recent post the Philanthropic Society I introduced you to ten-year-old George Lefoy the first ‘subject’, as the children of the Philanthropic Society were called. In this article I give you Thomas Mitchell and Nicholas Sweetman, subjects number two and three. Children admitted into the Society’s Reform were the offspring of the criminal classes or those destitute and in need of rescuing from penury … Continue reading More from the Philanthropic Society

HistorianRuby2 Comments
18th Century, History

The Philanthropic Society

My Master’s dissertation was a study of the Philanthropic Society founded in the late eighteenth century. Having changed computers since my original research, with the majority of it lost, I was thrilled to come across this photograph in my ‘old’ emails. The Philanthropic Society was founded in London in 1788 and its mission was to resolve the problem of homeless and criminal children.  It was … Continue reading The Philanthropic Society

HistorianRuby1 Comment
18th Century, Academic Research, History

The ‘Black Boy’of the Philanthropic Society

This article was first published on history@kingston, February 2015 So much of London’s fascinating black history is hidden from the historical record, so when I noticed the phrase ‘Black Boy’ written in the minutes of the Philanthropic Society during research for my recent MA dissertation on juvenile delinquency and philanthropy in the late eighteenth century, I was intrigued.  It was the first time that I … Continue reading The ‘Black Boy’of the Philanthropic Society

HistorianRuby13 Comments