A Home for Foundlings

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray teaches English literature at Brandon
University, Brandon, Manitoba.

It was a chance inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her
grandfather’s childhood in a London orphanage that led to Marthe
Jocelyn’s history of the Foundling Hospital, which was founded by
Captain Thomas Coram in 1741. Jocelyn presents her account of the famous
home for abandoned children through pictures, letters, account books,
and the individual stories of the children who lived there. Granted a
royal charter by George II, the Foundling Hospital received the special
attention of many luminaries of English society over the years,
including William Hogarth, George Frederic Handel, and Charles Dickens.
Jocelyn’s history of the hospital gives the details of its founding
and organization, as well as the details of the children’s everyday
lives, from their reception and uniforms to their meals and occupations.
She also provides the historical context for the hospital, and describes
what life would have been like for poor children who lived on the
streets and had to work.

The wealth of detail makes this volume particularly interesting, as it
presents everything from the slang that developed within the closed
society of the orphanage to the personal stories of many of the
Foundling Hospital’s former occupants. Nonetheless, it is presented in
a form that is easily accessible to young readers, with clear
explanations of historical terms and events, and liberally illustrated
with drawings and photographs that provide a fascinating look into the
lives of children in another age and circumstance. Supplemented with a
glossary, timeline, and bibliography, A Home for Foundlings should prove
to be an excellent educational resource that will entertain and
enlighten young readers. Highly recommended.