Tillsonburg's British Home Children
“The British Home Children (BHC) program brought over 100,000 boys and girls from the United Kingdom to Canada between the 1860s and the 1940s. The children were sent to Canada to help on farms and in domestic service. Tillsonburg and the surrounding area received many of these children. The descendants of BHC still live here today.
The children in this program came from poor families, large families, or were orphans. Families were often unable to care for the children, and some grew up in children’s homes. The most influential figure in this scheme was Thomas John Barnardo (1845-1905).
Thomas John Barnardo was an Irish-born doctor and philanthropist who played a major role in supporting vulnerable children in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He founded a network of homes that cared for thousands of destitute boys and girls. Barnardo believed that children should be given the opportunity for a better life, and his organization helped provide food, shelter, and training for those in need. His organization sent approximately 30,000 children to Canada. The children were sent as a source of cheap labour under the pretense of a better chance at life.
Canadians who were interested in having one of these children applied and paid an application fee. There were about seven applicants for each available child. The placements were chosen based on the child’s age and the type of work the child could do.
Sometimes the children were adopted, but in most cases, they were indentured servants. The child was supposed to be provided lodging, food, schooling and a modest allowance. Although there were some happy stories, often children were abused, neglected, ran away, or were returned to the receiving homes.
This small exhibition tells the story of a few of the British Home Children who were placed in the Tillsonburg area. There are so many children, that it is a challenge to put together a complete list of all who were placed near here. Many of the stories we feature here come from the publication Ups and Downs. Ups and Downs was the periodical published by Dr. Barnardo’s homes in Toronto and was circulated amongst the BHC in Canada. Published between 1895 and 1949, Ups and Downs contained stories, letters, pictures and information about BHC. Some of the editions have been scanned and are available online.
You can read the UPs and downs magazines here:
Ups and Down's Magazine - Home Children Canada Research Site
We acknowledge that there are many BHC who are not included in this exhibition. Annandale National Historic Site wants to tell more of the stories of British Home Children who came to Tillsonburg and the immediate surrounding areas and invites families to share their stories with us.