St Joseph's Catholic Orphanage for Girls (1868 - 1901)

Convent of Mercy, 1860, courtesy of State Library of Western Australia.
Details

From

1868

To

1901

Categories

Catholic, Children's Home, Home and Orphanage

Alternative Names

Catholic Girls' Orphanage (also known as, 1868 - 1901)
Orphanage for Roman Catholic Girls (also known as, 1897 - )
Orphanage Industrial School for Roman Catholic Girls (also known as, 1898 - 1901)
Perth Roman Catholic Orphanage (Female) (also known as, 1883 - 1901)
Roman Catholic Girls' Orphanage (also known as, 1868 - )
Victoria Square Orphanage (also known as, 1868 - 1901)

St Joseph's Catholic Orphanage for Girls was established in Perth by the Sisters of Mercy in 1868, for girls from the Poor House. Children who were destitute were accommodated, along with orphans. In 1901, the Home moved to Subiaco and became the St Joseph's Girls' Orphanage.

An orphanage for Catholic girls was first established in 1868 when 11 girls were taken from the Poor House to live at the Sisters of Mercy Convent behind the Catholic pro-Cathedral in Victoria Avenue. By the end of that year, the convent had 27 children and no more room. A public appeal, supported by both Catholics and Protestants, raised £1400 for new premises. A new Convent of Mercy in Victoria Square was completed in 1871 and the orphanage was named St Joseph's Catholic Orphanage for Girls. In 1901, the orphanage moved to Subiaco and became the St Joseph's Girls' Orphanage.

Events

1868 - 1871: Location - An orphanage for Catholic girls began in the Sisters of Mercy Convent on Victoria Square, Perth. Location: Perth
1871 - 1901: Location - St Joseph's Catholic Orphanage for Girls opened in new premises, Convent of Mercy, Victoria Square, Perth. Location: Perth
1901: Event - St Joseph's Catholic Orphanage for Girls moved to the St Vincent's Boys' Orphanage site on Barrett Street, Subiaco. Location: Subiaco

Related Events

Committee to Consider the Capitation Grant for Orphanages, Crown Colony of Western Australia (1884)
The cost of raising a child in the Catholic Girls' Orphanage was examined by a Committee in the Legislative Council.

Related Organisations

Female Home [Poor House, Perth] (1851 - 1909)
St Joseph's Catholic Orphanage for Girls began with girls transferred from the Female Home (Poor House, Perth).

Date: 1868

Publications

Books

Coldrey, Barry M., The Scheme: the Christian Brothers and Childcare in Western Australia, Argyle-Pacific Pub., O'Connor, W.A., 1993. p.20. Details
Hetherington, Penelope, Paupers, Poor Relief and Poor Housing in Western Australia 1829 to 1910, UWA Publishiing, Crawley, Western Australia, 2009. pp.89-90. Details

Reports

Report by the Superintendent of Poor Houses, Government Printer, Perth, 1882-1889. 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889. Details
Reports upon the Roman Catholic Orphanages for the Year Ending 30th June 1884, Government Printer, Perth, 1884. Details
Annual Report of the Roman Catholic Orphanages for 1884-85, Government Printer, Perth, 1885. Details
Report by the Superintendent of Poor Relief, Government Printer, Perth, 1890-1896. 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896. Details
Report by the Superintendent of Relief and Inspector of Charitable Institutions for the year, Government Printer, Perth, 1897. Details
Report by the Inspector of Charitable Institutions, Government Printer, Perth, 1898. Details

Online Resources

McLay, Anne, Women Out of Their Sphere, A History of the Sisters of Mercy in Western Australia, Vanguard Press, Northbridge, Western Australia, 1992, 483 pp, https://institute.mercy.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Women-Out-of-Their-Sphere.compressed.pdf. Details

Photos

Title: Convent of Mercy
Type: Image
Date: 1860
Source: State Library of Western Australia

Details

Title: Reports upon the Roman Catholic Orphanages for the Year Ending 30th June 1884
Type: Document
Date: 14 July 1884 - 15 July 1884
Source: State Records Office of Western Australia, Western Australia Votes and Proceedings 1884, Paper No. 27

Details

Title: Orphanage Industrial School for Roman Catholic Girls, Hay Street East, Perth
Type: Image
Date: 1900
Source: Department for Child Protection and Family Support, Superintendent of Public Charities and Inspector of Industrial and Reformatory Schools, Report 1900, p.20

Details

Sources used to compile this entry: Report by the Superintendent of Relief and Inspector of Charitable Institutions for the year, Government Printer, Perth, 1897; Report by the Inspector of Charitable Institutions, Government Printer, Perth, 1898; Coldrey, Barry M., The Scheme: the Christian Brothers and Childcare in Western Australia, Argyle-Pacific Pub., O'Connor, W.A., 1993. p.20.; Hetherington, Penelope, Paupers, Poor Relief and Poor Housing in Western Australia 1829 to 1910, UWA Publishiing, Crawley, Western Australia, 2009. pp.89-90..

Prepared by: Debra Rosser

Created: 28 January 2013, Last modified: 2 July 2020

St Joseph's Catholic Orphanage for Girls (1868 - 1901)