Annual Reports of St. Brigid's Orphanage (1857-1907)

Annual Reports of St. Brigid's Orphanage (1857-1907)

1957-1907

Sisters of the Holy Faith; St. Brigid's Orphanage

This digital collection consists of a series of fifty annual reports of St. Brigid's Orphanage. Initially, from 1857 to 1860, the reports were delivered as part of the Annual Reports of the Ladies’ Association of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Overall, the reports detail the number of orphans; the reunification of orphans with parents; orphan adoptions; the schooling of orphans; the rearing of orphans; and often note mortality rates and apprenticeships. Examples of orphan circumstances are often depicted. The reports describe the support and donations for the cause; noting the support of clergymen and several guild associations. The boarding-out (foster care) system is described throughout the reports along with premiums paid to nurses (foster parents) with explanations of how the payment system works. In general, the reports offer insights to the protocols for religious instruction and education. Most reports discuss Proselytism, and some reports provide information about Protestant institutions (orphanages, schools, etc.). According to Jacinta Prunty (1999, 56-57), Margaret Aylward is considered to be the main author of these reports prior to her death in 1889. The reports are valuable little-known primary sources for the study of charity networks, poor relief, orphan statistics, childcare, foster care, and education in nineteenth-century Ireland.

On behalf of the Sisters of the Holy Faith Congregational Archives, this collection was digitised and curated by Helena La Pina (2020).

References Prunty, J. (1999) Margaret Aylward, 1810-89: Lady of Charity, Sister of Faith, Four Courts Press Ltd.