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The
institution was fully titled " Liverpool
Benevolent Society for reclaiming unfortunate females" and was founded
in 1839. The so called 'unfortunate females', were young prostitutes. John Cropper jun. was the
first President. Most such Homes were run by the various
Church denominations, The Benevolent Institution was non-denominational,
reflecting the Cropper's Quaker roots.
These sorts of places barely scratched the surface of the
need within the City to "reclaim" young women. It is not surprising
therefore to find
several doing the same thing, even in the same area. Industrial Schools
gave an education and job by training young girls as servants - several
such places existed within Toxteth. The children at St
Margaret's Orphanage, Upper Parliament Street went onto " Industrial
Training" when they reached 14 years.
1839 Gore includes this
institution, but no
address is given, it was listed as "The Society for reclaiming unfortunate females".
1841 Gore: shows
"Benevolent House and Asylum for unfortunate
females". 75 Rathbone Street. Mrs Mary Yates is Matron and Mr Alexander Sorley
is Superintendent.1845 and 1847 Gore: No entry1848 and
1849 Gore: "Benevolent Society for reclaiming unfortunate
females". Institution: 145 Mill St, Toxteth Park. The Slater's 1848
trade directory for Liverpool shows,"Benevolent Institution", 145
Mill Street, Mr. R. M. Marrack jun., secretary, Mary Yates, matron. 1851 Gore: Benevolent Institution, 17 Wellington Road
, Toxteth
Park. (this will will be from data gathered in 1850) 1858 Gore: Benevolent Institution, North Street, Toxteth Park. Miss Jane Sisley, Matron.
1860 Gore list the 'Benevolent
Society for reclaiming unfortunate females' (in capital letters), at 140A North
Street, Toxteth Park.
1861
The institution is in North Street (the property next to number 15) in the census
for that year which shows a long list of 'servants' whilst many of the girls
are shown simply with their initials. They have come from many different places.
(only I census sheet is shown, there are others). Eliza White and
Elizabeth Barr are the Matrons.
1869 Gore shows 'Benevolent Insitution: South Hill Road, Miss Jane Cragg Matron'. It
is known to have been at No 56 South Hill Road, from at least 1870 still
with Jane Cragg was matron. Jane Cragg was, in turn, a friend of the reformer,
Josephine Butler.
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Josephine Butler lived in South Hill, Park Road, Toxteth from 1866 to 1882. Her husband was the Reverend George Butler, Headmaster of Liverpool College in Everton at that time. Josephine Butler, had, in 1869, started a campaign against the Contagious Diseases Act and she was instrumental in it
being repealed in 1886.
Josephine Butler initially had prostitutes
from the Liverpool Workhouse living with her, but set up her own home for
them somewhere near to where she lived. This has been tracked down by Paul Young
and was in Menzies Street, about 100 yards away from her own home in South Hill. It
seems that the Benevolent Institution (founded in 1839)
stayed briefly at Menzies Street before carrying along
its own path, whilst the Menzies Street 'Home for Incurable'
progressed along separate lines.
The
history of the latter is listed in the Liverpool Record Office notes
(relating to the foundation of Princes Park Hospital),
it
was "a small house in Menzies Street, where
in 1869 the social reformer Josephine Butler established a 'House of Rest'
for women suffering from incurable chronic diseases. As the home grew,
Josephine Butler handed over its running to a committee of ladies and
there was a move to larger premises in Park Hill Road".
However as recorded in Josephine Butler's biography, the first inhabitants
of this 'House of Rest' appear to have been young prostitutes.
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1871 The
Belevolent Institution is at 56 South Hill Road in the census
for that year. (One sheet shown). As for the 1869 entry, Jane Cragg is Matron.
In
1881 Gore shows this at No 56 South Hill Road
close to the junction with Beloe Street. The plot of land actually on the junction
remained undeveloped, the Benevolent Institution occupied the next plot of
land and was adjacent to the vicarage and associated Mission Church of St Cleopas.
It is called the 'Liverpool
benevolent Society for Reclaining Fallen Women'. Miss Jane Grundy is then Matron.
(Rev George Butler M.A. [and presumably Josephine] are now living at 390 Park
Road which at this time is the junction with South Hill Road).
1884 The
OS map shows the
Institution as a rectangular building centred in its own grounds,
but the 1893 and 1908 OS maps show the 'L' shaped wing running very close to
the boundary. Ken Roberts has suggested that this could reflect
an extension built between 1884 and
1893. If so, the need for this is a sad reflection on Victorian
Liverpool.
1894 The address, title and matron are all
exactly the same. Of note now however is that at No 58 the Rev. Webster Hall
M.A. Vicar of St Cleopas' and surrogate is resident at 'Grecian House'. No 60
is just the other side of St Cleopas Mission Chapel (and houses the caretaker,
Mrs Mary Bailey). Thus the position of the Benevolent Institution can be confirmed
and applied to the map.
1901 census : Benevolent Institution, South Hill
Road, Matron Miss Jane Grundy. Miss Grundy had been assistant matron at North
Street in the 1861 census so had been there for a very long time.
1907: Annual Report. Mrs William Rathbone patron.
Salaries £114, rent £50, Food costs £311. Gross income from laundry work
£645.
1910 Miss Grundy is
either about to retire or has retired and the Institution was about to close
when it was bought by the Church of England Magdalen Society of Mount Vernon, Liverpool. It
was then run
as a two year training centre for the young women, fitting them for servant
work etc. ( ref Liverpool Record Office H.364.2 DIO ).
1911 Miss Jane
Grundy is still shown as matron in Gore although it is possible that their data
was not totally up-to-date. The position and title of the Institution remain unchanged.
1926
No 56 is missing from Gore's directory, other adjacent properties are however numbered
in the same way and little changed in function.
1930 An
aerial photo of South Hill Road shows that the
Benevolent Home has been demolished in a general slum clearance of the Dingle
area. (photo 352 ENG/2/9051) from Liverpool Record Office. The records
for Gore do not show the Institute in
1936, 1946
and 1955. However Paul Young tells me that The Benevolent Institution side boundary wall was still there off South Hill
Road in 2005.
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Benevolent
Institution - 56 South Hill Road
