Philanthropic Society Farm School

aka

The Redhill Reformatory

Daphne, who lives in Vancouver in Canada, got in touch with me to ask if I knew why her granfather was listed in the 1891 census as being at the Philanthroic Society Reform School and how he ended up in Canada.

What followed was a great deal of research across two continents.

What I discovered was a boy, Happy Grace, from a tragic and violent past in 1800s Marlow who was sentenced to three years in the Philanthropic Society Farm School. An institution of five houses of boys totalling around three hundred residents.

From there, Happy was forcibly migrated to the NW Territories.

The book I have written on his life in the School and in Canada is th true story we have gleaned from the extensive research.

It is a story of tragedy and harsh punishment, but ultimately the strength to endure.

Visit our online bookshop for details.