| AdminHistory | Foundation and aims:
The Middlemore Homes were founded in 1872 by John Throgmorton Middlemore as the 'Children's Emigration Homes'. The first home, for boys, opened on Beatrice Crescent, St. Luke's Road in September 1872. In December 1872, a similar home for girls opened at 36 Spring Street, Birmingham.
In 19th Century Birmingham, John Middlemore saw poor children living in overcrowded slums, in unhealthy conditions. Some children were suffering from neglect and at risk of falling into crime through a need to survive. His original mission in establishing the Middlemore Homes was to offer children a healthy upbringing, the chance to receive training and what he perceived as a better life through emigration to Canada. Children were often placed into the care of the homes by the local magistrates or were transferred to the homes from the cottage homes of the local poor law unions.
The surviving records of the homes reveal the mixed fortunes of these children once in Canada. Many child migrants, as John Middlemore had hoped, were better off in Canada than if they had remained in England. Others experienced ill-treatment from their employers.
The 25th annual report of the emigration homes dated 1897 summarises the aims of the organisation: 'The Children's Emigration Homes were established in 1872 to save boys and girls from lives of crime and pauperism. The principle adopted for this end is that of permanently removing them from criminal and pauper surroundings and transferring them by means of emigration to entirely different and hopeful associations.'
John Middlemore remained actively involved in the work of the homes until his death on 17th October 1924. In 1925, the name of the homes changed from the Children's Emigration Homes to the 'Middlemore Emigration Homes'.
Emigration: 1873 to 1949
The first group of children, a party of 29, departed for Canada on 1st May 1873, accompanied by John Middlemore. On arrival in Canada, the children were settled with families. Older children were settled as farm or domestic assistants, receiving board and, in some cases, wages. Younger children were often fostered by families with no children of their own.
The Middlemore Homes continued to take a party of children to Canada each year, departing in May or June and settling children in Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. A home was established in London, Ontario for the initial reception of children. This home, 'Guthrie House', was closed by 1891, but a new reception home, 'Fairview', was built in Halifax in 1898. Information from the annual reports of the homes indicates that no emigration was possible in 1917 or 1918, 1940 and 1942 - 1945 due to war.
In 1924, changes in Canadian legislation placed stricter controls on juvenile immigration. As a result, the numbers of Middlemore children sent to Canada decreased. From 1926, children from the Middlemore Homes were also sent to Australia through collaboration with the Fairbridge Society of London. Around this time, the organisation also moved to new premises. A new Middlemore Homes in Weoley Park Road, Selly Oak opened on 23 October 1929.
6067 children were emigrated to Canada and Australia through the Middlemore Homes between 1872 and 1945 . The Middlemore Homes was one of many agencies involved in child migration to Canada and Australia in the late 19th and early 20th century. Other child migration agencies included Dr. Barnado's Homes and the Catholic Emigration Society.
The Middlemore babies' home (Crowley House)
The Middlemore Homes also ran a babies' home at Selly Oak called Crowley House. This was established in 1938 for children under school age, who were too young to be emigrated. The babies' home closed in 1954.
1949 onwards - family rehabilitation
Child emigration by the Middlemore Homes continued until 1949. By this date government legislation (the Children Act of 1948) and changes in attitudes to child welfare meant emigration was seen as appropriate in only a small number of cases.
During the period 1949 - 1954 the Middlemore Homes' only activity was in the care of young children in Crowley House. During this period, the Trust began to investigate a shift in emphasis, away from child migration towards care of children within the family unit. Since 1955, the Middlemore Trust's activities have been based on the principal of family rehabilitation, providing temporary residence and assistance to mothers and their children, or to whole families.
Crowley House (the former babies' home) reopened in 1955 as a family rehabilitation centre, with space to accommodate five or six families. The centre aimed to provide a residence, sense of community and education to enable mothers and families to gain confidence and obtain the skills and knowledge to re-establish their independence. Further accommodation was later established at Lee Crescent in Edgbaston (the former Crowley Orphanage for Poor Girls) Speedwell Road in Hay Mills (the Middlemore Centre Rehabilitation Unit) and on Moseley Street.
The Sir John Middlemore Trust currently operates the Middlemore Family Centre in Bartley Green, providing support to families in crisis. |