Case 6424

A (B)

Female

A. was illegitimate. Her father had deserted her mother and now lived with another woman. The clergyman making the application to the Waifs and Strays' Society hoped the girl could be received into the Leamington Home and thought he might be able to obtain some payment for her maintenance. It was hoped to get the mother into service and there were promises for the support of the other children. A. was accepted as a rescue case, she was considered to be in moral danger if she remained with her mother. She was admitted to the Leamington Home on 30 April 1898. On 22 September 1898 A. was transferred to the Belbroughton Home in Stourbridge. On 21 August 1901 she went out to service in Worcester. When she went into service her aunt who lived in London wrote and asked her to give up her situation. She wanted her niece to come and live with her. It was decided by the Society that the girl should remain in her situation but she grew insolent and careless so her mistress decided not to keep her. The Belbroughton Home authorities hoped to get her into another Home for older girls. On 14 February 1902 A. was transferred to St Olave's Home, Exeter. She went out to service again but by 12 August 1902 her employer had given her notice because she was slovenly and untruthful. She was pretty but "vain, shallow and low minded." Miss Snowden of the Exeter Home felt that she might need to be in a "good stiff home" for at least another year before she was ready to go out to service again. Opinion was divided about the desirability of A. going to live with her aunt, some members of the Society wished to prevent it as they feared for A's moral welfare without their guidance, but there was also a suggestion that the aunt should be visited to see if she could provide a good home for the girl. In August 1903 A's mistress said she was unable to keep her and grave fears for her character were expressed by Miss Snowden. She felt that A. had "very little moral sense" and was "childish and cunning". There was a proposal that A. should again return to St Olave's Home but eventually on 12 September 1903 A. went to London to live with her aunt.