'Spanning more than a century, this study provides a comprehensive account of the groundbreaking work and social influence of the Protestant Orphan Society, one of the most significant yet under-documented nineteenth-century Irish Protestant charities. Featuring in-depth case-history analysis, it offers rare insights into the lives of Protestant families in the aftermath of bereavement.The book examines the charity's origins in Dublin, its progressive policies and its boarding-out and apprenticeship schemes
the important role of women as nurses and fundraisers
the foundation of local Protestant Orphan Societies, and opposition to its work. It argues that the pioneering system, which promoted children's health, education and eventual independence, represented a private outdoor poor relief measure that pre-dated state-sponsored boarding-out by more than thirty years and became the basis for modern concepts. The book discusses the gradual decline of the charity in the south from the early twentieth century and uncovers the distinguished figures who lent their support such as Ireland's first President Dr. Douglas Hyde, Dr. Ella Webb and Dr. Dorothy Stopford Price. It also focuses considerable attention on the children's experience while boarded-out and apprenticed and explores the many challenges faced by widows in reduced circumstances, including the sister of Irish playwright Sean O'Casey, as they endeavoured to provide for their children alone.This fascinating volume makes valuable contributions to the growing field of children's studies, women's history, the history of the family and social welfare and the study of Irish Protestantism' --Back cover.The Protestant Orphan Society, founded in Dublin in 1828, managed a carefully-regulated boarding-out and apprenticeship scheme. This book examines its origins, its forward-thinking policies, and particularly its investment in children's health, the part women played in the charity, opposition to its work and the development of local Protestant Orphan Societies. It argues that by the 1860s the parent body in Dublin had become one of the most well-respected nineteenth-century Protestant charities and an authority in the field of boarding out. The author uses individual case histories to explore the ways in which the charity shaped the orphans' lives and assisted widows, including the sister of Sean O'Casey, the renowned playwright, and identifies the prominent figures who supported its work such as Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland. This book makes valuable contributions to the history of child welfare, foster care, the family and the study of Irish Protestantism.