Describe the orphanages of the Victorian age?

Answer 1

Many orphanages began as baby safe-places, and mothers who could not care for their children would leave them on the doorstep (or whatever ingenious contraption in use), with only the rags they wore, maybe a blanket, and sometimes a charm or heirloom to give the child when grown. An effort was made to keep them clean and fed, but often other concerns, such as education, fell by the wayside as their numbers increased. SIDEBAR: Interestingly, another option open to desperate mothers was to warehouse or 'farm' the babies with a woman, usually in the country, who--for a regular payment--would care for the child. It was discovered that several of those women actually killed the babies to spare themselves the expense and trouble of caring for them, but continued to accept the mothers' payment. (Assuming she was able to continue payments at all.) Some of the babies were killed on the same day they were received from the mother.

Answer 2

If you were unfortunate enough to end up in one of those places you soon found out what i was like to be cold poorly dressed and nearly always hungry. These places were also work houses and were recruiting places for the upper cases for cheap labour domestic and sexual . often the church was involved in these dealings. More then 65% of the children that were in these institutions lived on to become criminals. many children opted to live on the streets feeling that earning a living by begging, doing menial jobs and prostitution was a preferable option to the soul destroying life that awaits those in orphanages and workhouses. In a way we are seing the same situations develop again today among homeless children throughout the world including our comfy western world.