Coram’s Foundling Hospital Archive is a unique and rich historical resource, known for its completeness. The archive spans the full history of the Foundling Hospital, from 1739 to 1954, when the residential school closed. The half-million records detail the lives of the 27,000 children in the Hospital’s care, their mothers’ circumstances, and the Hospital’s operation and guiding principles.
Children’s needs never change, but understanding of the best ways to meet those needs has altered radically through the years. The Foundling Hospital Archive gives a perspective on those changes, showing how Coram has reflected contemporary thinking and pioneered good practice in helping vulnerable children since 1739. In addition, it is a significant source for women’s history, textile history, and working people’s history.
Coram has digitised 405 of the most important volumes in the archive, or 23% of the entire collection. These digital images, and their transcripts, will be available to view online from 17 October 2024.
- Petitions Admitted to Ballot: 25 volumes, 1768-1800
- Petitions Admitted: 90 bundles, 1762-1881
- Billet Books: 203 volumes, 1741-1814
- General Registers: 5 volumes, 1741-1880
- Baptism Registers: 2 volumes, 1741-1885
- Apprenticeship Registers: 4 volumes, 1751-1898
- Nursery Books: 4 volumes, 1756-1812
- Inspection Books: 2 volumes, 1749-1764
- Ackworth Branch Hospital Register: 2 volumes, 1757-1772
- Chester Branch Hospital Register: 1 volume, 1763-1767
- Shrewsbury Branch Hospital Register: 1 volume, 1759-1771
- Westerham Branch Hospital Register: 1 volume, 1760-1769
- London Parish Register: 1 volume, 1767-1798
- Sub-Committee Minutes: 36 volumes, 1748-1843
- Daily Committee and House Committee Minutes: 1 volume, 1740-1742
- General Court (rough) Minutes: 6 volumes, 1739-1895
- Petitions Claiming Children: 20 bundles, 1758-1796
- Claimed Children Register: 1 volume, 1741-1885
The digitisation and transcription projects were part of Coram’s Voices Through Time: The Story of Care programme (2019-2024), made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Coram is enormously grateful to the 6,500+ volunteers from across the world who helped transcribe the digitised records.
The physical archive is housed at The London Archives and can be viewed on-site with a reader’s ticket. The London Archives’ catalogue can be searched online or downloaded.