Records of St Vincent de Paul Orphanage, Professional Standards Office Collection

The collection ‘Records of St Vincent de Paul Orphanage’ includes Admission and discharge books and registers, and some minutes related to St Vincent de Paul Orphanage. The collection covers the dates 1866 to 1975, and is held by the Professional Standards Office Records Service of the Catholic Church.

Access Conditions

Please contact the Professional Standards Office Records Service for an application form and information regarding procedures and conditions with regard to accessing information from records held or managed by this office.

Information is open to former residents or family members who can prove their relationship to the resident.

The Professional Standards Office does not charge any fees to former residents of Catholic Homes seeking their records.

Records

Admission Forms
Five original admission forms dated 1895, and seven handwritten agreements dated 1893 and signed by parents admitting their children to the home.

Admission Register (1872 – 1883)
Entries handwritten in columns across two pages: (1) Number, (2) Name, (3) Age, (4) Admitted, (5) By order of, (6) Left, (7) Where to, (8) Particulars, by order of. Notes on Contents – (7) Where to gives person and/or place. (8) Particulars gives parental details, whether dead or alive and sometimes comments on character.

Admission Register (1872 – 1889)
Entries handwritten in hand drawn columns: (1) Number, (2) Name, (3) Age, (4) Entry, (5) Departure, (6) Where gone, (7) Gone, (8) Particulars. Notes on contents – (8) Particulars includes information about who sent the child, reasons for admission, who recommended admission and parents circumstances.

Admission Register, Book 1 (1975 – 1929)
Handwritten entries in ledger divided into columns crossing two pages. Year in top left hand corner. Left hand page: (1) Date, (2) Name in full, (3) Age, (4) Where from, (5) Parents or guardians. Right hand page: (6) Address, (7) Date of leaving, (8) Where gone to, (9) Remarks. Notes on contents – (5) Parents/Guardians until 1950 merely states ‘mother’ or ‘father’, without giving names. (6) Address column often blank. (9) remarks: Few entries in early years. Later entries can include birth date, whether parents are alive or dead, comments on family/child’s situation, religion and baptism information.

Admission Register, Book 2 (1920 – 1949)
Handwritten entries in ledger divided into columns crossing two pages. Year in top left hand corner. Left hand page: (1) Date, (2) Name in full, (3) Age, (4) Where from, (5) Parents or guardians. Right hand page: (6) Address, (7) Date of leaving, (8) Where gone to, (9) Remarks. Additional material – Typed pages inserted, dated 1942. Titled List of boys transferred to Largs Bay Orphanage 2 Feb 1942 and List of girls transferred to Largs Bay Orphanage 2 Feb 1942 with columns: (1) Name, (2) Date of birth, (3) Date of admission, (4) Father’s full name, (5) Mother’s full name, (6) Address. At page 40, after entries for 28 September 1949, a number of handwritten pages starting 28 May 1920 are pasted into book. Columns include: (1) Date of leaving, (2) Name, (3) Where gone to. Rest of book blank.

Admission Register, Book 3 (1875 – 1975)
Volume alphabetically arranged in 1950-1960s period. From 1965 recorded by year, ie 1965 Admissions. Pages 1-22 cover 1875-1899 then records date from 1954-1975. Same columns as previous volumes: Left hand page: (1) Date, (2) Name in full, (3) Age, (4) Where from, (5) Parents or guardians. Right hand page: (6) Address, (7) Date of leaving, (8) Where gone to, (9) Remarks. Notes on contents – (9) Remarks include baptism, immunisation, whether parents are alive or dead, whether parents are Catholic, re-admissions, comments on family/child situation and reasons for admission, medical and hospital admissions. Later entries in remarks column include more information on family circumstances. Date range – 1875-1899, then 1954-1975.

Admission List (26 May 1941)
Letter dated 26/5/1941 with attached list of names of children in the Orphanage with dates of birth, addresses and information about parents, their names and whether they are alive or dead.

Discharge Book (1866 – 1920)
Small hardback lined notebook with title on inside cover ‘January 1st 1890, Dates of children leaving the orphanage and to whom they have gone’, inside manila folder titled ‘St Vincent de Paul’s Orphanage Pre Goodwood, 1866-1889 Minutes etc.’. Entries span two pages giving (1) Date, (2) Name of child and where went to. Notes on contents – Entries state to whom and/or where child was discharged. First entry is dated 6/1/1890 and last 2/4/1920. Last page of book is a list titled ‘Children returned 1903’ with names and dates.

Minutes (1887 – 1890)
Handwritten minutes of meetings including names of children and information about admissions.