Protestant Orphan School (1850 - 1886)

Female Orphan School, Parramatta, 1870-1875, by the American & Australasian Photographic Company [Protestant Orphan School], 1870 - 1875, courtesy of State Library of New South Wales.
Details

From: 1850
To: 1886
Categories: Government-run, Home, Orphanage and Protestant

The Protestant Orphan School was established in Parramatta in 1850 by the New South Wales Colonial Government. It replaced, and brought together, what had been the Female Orphan School and the Male Orphan School. The Protestant Orphan School housed hundreds of children at a time. It was closed in 1881, after the boarding out system was introduced.

Orphan schools were established in Sydney in the early 1800s, and the Female Orphan School had been moved to Parramatta in 1818. It was run by a committee and funded by the New South Wales Colonial Government.

In 1850, the Male and Female Orphan Schools were amalgamated to form the Protestant Orphan School. This continued in the same buildings in Parramatta that had been used by the Female Orphan School. The Protestant Orphan School, like the Roman Catholic Orphan School and the Randwick Asylum for Destitute Children, massed many hundreds of children into dormitory-style accommodation. In the 1870s this form of caring for dependent children became increasingly unpopular with reformers.

The Protestant Orphan School was closed in 1886, after the State Children's Relief Board introduced boarding out and took children from large institutions and placed them in the boarding out system (foster care).

The Orphan School buildings were converted to the Rydalmere Hospital for the Insane in 1886. In 1995 the hospital closed and the New South Wales Government gave the buildings to the University of Western Sydney.

Location

1850 - 1886: Location - Protestant Orphan School was situated on the Paramatta River, Parramatta. Location: Parramatta

Timeline

1819 - 1850 Male Orphan School
1850 - 1886 Protestant Orphan School

Related Glossary Terms

Boarding Out (1881 - )
The introduction of the boarding out system led to the closure of the Protestant Orphan School, as the State Children's Relief Board withdrew children.

Date: 1881 - 1886
Foster Care (1881 - )
The introduction of foster care led to the closure of the Protestant Orphan School.

Related Legislation

Apprenticeship Act 1851 (1851 - 1901)
State Children Relief Act 1881 (1881 - 1901)
The State Children's Relief Act gave the State Children's Relief Board the power to take children from the Protestant Orphan School and board them out.

Related Organisations

Female Orphan School (1801 - 1850)
The Protestant Orphan School was created in 1850 when the Female and Male Orphan Schools were combined.
State Children's Relief Board (1881 - 1923)
The State Children's Relief Board was given the power to withdraw children from the Protestant Orphan School and place them in the boarding out system.

Publications

Online Resources

'Child Care and Protection Index 1817-1942', in Museums of History NSW website, Museums of History NSW, https://mhnsw.au/indexes/child-care-and-protection/child-care-and-protection-index/. Details
Orphan schools, State Library of New South Wales, 2012, https://web.archive.org/web/20160201172256/http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/religion/charity/opphan_schools.html. Details
'Female Orphan School and Historical Precinct, Parramatta Campus', in Whitlam Institute, 2013, https://www.whitlam.org/history-of-the-female-orphan-school. Details
'Female Orphan School', in University of Western Sydney, University of Western Sydney, 2 September 2014, http://www.uws.edu.au/femaleorphanschool/home. Details
Bubacz, Beryl M, The Female and Male Orphan Schools in New South Wales, 1801-1850, University of Sydney, Department of Education and Social Work, 2007, http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/2474/1/01BubaczThesisPart1Chs1%262.pdf. Details
Crawford, John, 'Children of the Perishing Class', in History of the Children's Court, Lawlink, Lawlink NSW, 2009, http://www.childrenscourt.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Children%20of%20the%20perishing%20class.pdf. Details
Crawford, John, 'Establishment of the Children's Court', in History of the Children's Court, Lawlink, Lawlink NSW, 2012, http://www.childrenscourt.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Establishment%20of%20the%20Children%27s%20Court%20-%20Then%20and%20100%20years%20on.pdf. Details

Photos

Title: Orphan School Estates Act 1826
Type: Document
Date: 1826

Details

Title: Female Orphan School, Parramatta, 1870-1875, by the American & Australasian Photographic Company [Protestant Orphan School]
Type: Image
Date: 1870 - 1875
Source: State Library of New South Wales

Details