These are records created by the Male Orphan School that are held by Museums of History NSW (State Archives). The records contain information about children living at the School, and include registers of admission, applications for admission and discharge, apprenticeship records, correspondence, and the constitution and minutes of meetings of the committee of management. Some of these records also contain information about children at the Female Orphan School.
Access Conditions
These records are Open, and can be accessed by any member of the public. For access to these records please contact Museums of History NSW (State Archives).
Information from the admission books, applications, and apprenticeship indentures has been included in the Child Care and Protection Index (published by State Archives NSW), and is available online.
Records
The following information about these records has been published in the State Archives catalogue:
- Male Orphan School Admission Books, 1819-1850. Reference Number: NRS-796.
These registers contain information about children admitted to the Male Orphan School. They include information such as child’s name, age, admission number, admission date, parents’ names, occupations, and address, details of where the child was discharged to, and other remarks. These registers are copies of an original register, which is held by the NSW State Library.
- Indentures of apprenticeship, 1822-1833. Reference Number: NRS-798.
These indentures contain information about children apprenticed from the Male and Female Orphan Schools to various employers. They bind the child into apprenticeship for an agreed term, with meals and accommodation to be provided by their employer. Information in the indentures includes child’s name, age, employers name, and type of apprenticeship.
- Applications for admission into the Orphan Schools, 1825-1833. Reference Number: NRS-782.
These papers record information about children who had applications made for their entry into the Male and Female Orphan Schools. They were generally written by the child’s parent/s or guardian, or by a church, committee, or government representative on their behalf. The applications were required to ensure a child met the selection criteria for admission to the Schools.
- Applications for children out of the Orphan Schools, 1825-1833. Reference Number: NRS-783.
These papers record information about children who had applications made for their discharge from the Male and Female Orphan Schools. They include letters, memorials, and petitions addressed to the schools by parents or guardians requesting their children were returned to their custody, or by prospective employers seeking apprentices. The applications were required to ensure that children were not removed from the Schools, except in accordance with the school rules.
- Drafts of Letters Sent, 1829-1849. Reference Number: NRS-799.
This is a series of draft letters written by the Master of the Male Orphan School about the running of the institution. The letters may include information about children at the institution.
- Constitution and Minutes, 1819-1823. Reference Number: NRS-794.
This book contains the constitution, rules, and regulations of the Male Orphan School, and the quarterly meeting minutes of the committee of management. The minutes may contain information about individual children living at the school.
