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Real stories about real people

How to research childhoods spent in former children's homes,

orphanages, cottage homes and other children's institutions

If you are trying to find information about

a relative or distant ancestor who spent time in any form of children's home or orphanage, this is the essential guide to where to look for records and how to access them.

Includes useful sources, glossary, hints and tips and much more.
NEWLY UPDATED

ISBN 978-1-903210-29-1

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Victorian orphanages

The Victorian era and early twentieth century saw a phenomenal rise in the number of orphanages for children in England. This remarkable period of philanthropy arose from religious leaders and businessmen wanting to do something to help children living on the streets or in workhouses—but was it always a positive move?

This illustrated short history runs through the story of the orphanages and tells what life was like for the children who lived in them. Revealed is an unexpected legacy of the orphanage era which still plays in social welfare in the twenty-first century.

ISBN 978-1-903210-26-0

JUST £8.99 plus postage
for this mini-encyclopedia of orphanages

The Children of the Homes:

a century of Erdington Cottage Homes

The story of Erdington Cottage Homes, one of the largest and longest-lasting children's homes in the UK, told in the words of

the people who spent all or part of their childhoods there.

A moving and inspirational collection of memories and a detailed history of this institution from its beginnings as part of the workhouse to the 1990s.

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ISBN: 978-1-903210-28-4

£12.99 plus postage

Family Fragments:
A childhood spent in care

Joan had little idea of the

details of her childhood. She had few

memories of her mother, none of her father

and she had no idea why she had spent her

childhood in care. Without even a birth certificate

to go on, her son Alan set about trying to find some answers

for his mother. He uncovered a fragmented family

and a history which included time at both

Marston Green and Erdington Cottage Homes.

Includes previously unpublished photos of Marston Green

ISBN: 978 0 993143 20 5

WAS £9.99 + postage
Now only £4.45 + P&P

Deeds of Love: The story of

Mason's Orphanage in Birmingham

This orphanage was started by the industrialist, Sir Josiah Mason, as an act of charity. The enormous building was demolished in the 1960s leaving virtually no trace of the hundreds of children who once lived there.

This books identifies names, for the first time, of the children who were buried in the grounds and who have since been cremated with Sir Josiah Mason

ISBN: 978-1-903210-24-6

£12.99 + postage