Norfolk children's homes and children in care

This guide relates to homes and facilities run by the Norfolk Poor Law Unions (including King's Lynn) and by Norfolk County Council. 

We have separate guides available for Norwich and Great Yarmouth children's homes.

Please note that many of these records contain personal and sensitive information and so are closed to public access.

Where this is the case, it is indicated in the catalogue entry.

If you think that you need access to closed records, please contact us for further information.

Many of these records are not yet catalogued. This is indicated by a reference beginning ACC.

If you wish to view uncatalogued records, advanced notice is required.

The Poor Law Unions were responsible for the care of children whose parents, for various reasons, could not provide them with a satisfactory family life.

These children were usually accommodated in the Union Workhouse during the 19th century where, unlike most of their contemporaries, they did receive some basic education.

In the early 20th century, there was a growing movement to take children out of the workhouse and either accommodate them in a children's home or board [foster] them out in the community. 

In Norfolk, there were 22 Poor Law Unions, including those for the City of Norwich and the Boroughs of King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth. 

Minutes of boarding out committees and children's homes committees have survived for only about half of the unions in Norfolk. It is possible that most of them never maintained a children's home.

It may therefore be necessary to search the relevant board minutes and records of the Union Workhouse (admission and discharge registers, creed registers, birth registers) for references to a particular child.

Reference has been found to the following Poor Law Union children's homes:

• Gresham Children's Home, The Old Rectory, Gresham had been established by Erpingham Union by 1922, when it is listed in Kelly's Directory of Norfolk. For a photograph and reminiscences see Keith Entwistle, Gresham Voices and Faces (Aylsham, 2000), pp39-43, 70-71.
• Long Stratton Children's Home (for 14 children) had been established by Depwade Union by 1916, when it is listed in Kelly's Directory of Norfolk.
• Lyde Cottage, Docking, Children's Home (for 12 children) was opened by Docking Union in 1915.
• Poringland Children's Home was opened by Henstead Poor Law Union in 1915.
• Red House, Little Snoring, Children's Home had been established by Walsingham Union by 1916, when it is listed in Kelly's Directory of Norfolk.
• Thetford Children's Home, Old Market Street, Thetford, had been established by Thetford Union by 1929, when it is listed in Kelly's Directory of Norfolk.
• North Walsham Children's Home, 60-62 Norwich Road, North Walsham, had been established by Smallburgh Union by 1916, when it is listed in Kelly's Directory of Norfolk.

Records, 1834-1930:

• Board minutes of all Norfolk Unions (including King's Lynn but excluding Norwich and Great Yarmouth) - see lists C/GC 1-20 for more detail
• Blofield Poor Law Union Boarding Out Committee minutes, 1912-18 (C/GP 2/52)
• Depwade Poor Law Union Boarding Out Committee correspondence files, 1906-24 (C/GP 3/189-191)
• Docking Poor Law Union register of boarded out children, 1904-17 (C/GP 4/72)
• Docking Poor Law Union Children's Home [Lyde Cottage, Docking] registers, 1915-37 (C/GP 4/4/81-83)
• Downham Poor Law Union Boarding Out Committee minutes, 1915-23 (C/GP 5/93-94)
• Henstead Poor Law Union Children's Home [Poringland] and Boarding Out Committee minutes, 1909-30 (C/GP 11/95-96)
• St Faith's Poor Law Union Boarding Out Committee minutes, 1911-29 (C/GP 15/70)
• Smallburgh Poor Law Union Boarding Out Committee minutes, 1912-30 (C/GP 18/113)
• Smallburgh Poor Law Union Children's Home [North Walsham] Committee, 1920-23 (C/GP 18/82)

The Poor Law Unions were abolished in 1930, under the Local Government Act 1929.

Their duties and properties were transferred to Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council and Great Yarmouth County Borough Council.

The county council set up a system of 13 guardians' committees which reported to its public assistance sub-committee.

It appears that not all of the guardians' committees ran a children's home and those children who were not boarded out were accommodated in the public assistance institutions (the former workhouses).

The guardians' committees are listed in our online catalogue under the prefix C/GC and then the committee number. The committees are:

• Committee 1 - Covering Erpingham RDC, Cromer UDC and Sheringham UDC. The committee met at Beckham, Sheringham or Cromer.
• Committee 2 - St Faith's and Aylsham RDC. It met at Aylsham or Norwich.
• Committee 3 - Blofield and Flegg RDC. It met at Lingwood or Rollesby.
• Committee 4 - Smallburgh RDC and North Walsham UDC. It met at North Walsham or Stalham.
• Committee 5 - Forehoe and Henstead RDC and Wymondham UDC. It met at Norwich or Wymondham.
• Committee 6 - Docking RDC and Hunstanton UDC. It met at Docking.
• Committee 7 - Walsingham RDC and Wells UDC. It met at Fakenham or Snoring.
• Committee 8 - Freebridge Lynn RDC and King's Lynn Borough. It met at Gayton or King's Lynn.
• Committee 9 - Downham RDC, Marshland RDC and Downham Market UDC. It met at Downham Market or Walsoken.
• Committee 10 - Mitford and Launditch RDC and East Dereham UDC. It met at East Dereham or Gressenhall.
• Committee 11 - Swaffham UDC, Swaffham RDC, Thetford Borough and Wayland RDC. It met at Swaffham or Thetford.
• Committee 12 - Depwade RDC and Diss UDC. It met at Pulham St Mary.
• Committee 13 - Loddon and Clavering RDC. It met at Heckingham.

Records, 1930-1948

• Public assistance sub-committee (to which guardians' committees reported), 1930-48 (C/C 10/453-472).
• Public assistance children's care committee, 1946-47 (C/C 10/473).
• Guardians' committees 1 to 13 (see C/GC lists for detail).
• Guardians' committee No 1 children's home (Old Rectory, Gresham) committee minutes, 1938-48 (C/GC 1/7).
• Guardians' committee No 1 medical officer's register of examinations of children in West Beckham Institution, 1934-38 (C/GP 6/198).
• Guardians' committee No 2 boarding out sub-committee minutes, 1930-47 (C/GC 2/10).
• Guardians' committee No 3 boarding out sub-committee minutes, 1940-47 (C/GC 3/7)
• Guardians' committee No 4 children's home (North Walsham) committee minutes, 1930-48 (C/GC 4/8-11)
• Guardians' committee No 5 boarding out sub-committee minutes, 1930-47 (C/GC 5/9).
• Guardians' committee No 5 correspondence, reports etc. re boarded out children, 1936-37 (C/GC 5/13).
• Guardians' committee No 6 register of boarded out children, 1933-34 (C/GC 6/4).
• Guardians' committee No 6 children's home (Lyde Cottage, Docking) registers, 1915-37 (C/GP 4/81-83).
• Guardians' committee No 7 boarding out sub-committee minutes, 1925-45 (C/GC 7/10).
• Guardians' committee No 7 children's home (Red House, Little Snoring) sub-committee minutes, 1931-48 (C/GC 7/9).
• Guardians' committee No 9 boarding out committee minutes, 1933-48 (C/GC 9/9).
• Guardians' committee No 10 children's home (Garfield House, East Dereham) sub-committee minutes, 1937-46, 1946-48 (C/GP 14/129, C/GC 10/5).
• Guardians' committee No 11 boarding out committee minutes, 1930-46 (C/GC 11/8).
• Guardians' committee No 11 children's home (Thetford) sub-committee minutes, 1941-42 (C/GC 11/9).
• Guardians' committee No 12 boarding out sub-committee minutes, 1930-45 (C/GC 12/8).
• Guardians' committee No 12 children's homes (Long Stratton) sub-committee minutes, 1930-48 (C/GC 12/7).
• County education committee register of children adopted, 1927-45 (C/ED Uncat). Closed to public access for 100 years.
• County education committee adoption files relating to children for whom the council acted as guardian ad litem, 1927-48 (C/ED Uncat). Closed to public access for 100 years.
• Registers of children under control of county council, 1930-71 (C/SS 7/64-66). Closed to public access for 100 years.
• Register of boarded out children, 1944-47 (C/SS 2/4).
• Denver Hall Nursery register, 1947-51 (C/SS 7/69).
• Garfield House (East Dereham) record book, 1947-73 (ACC 2004/101). Closed to public access for 100 years.  

The guardians committees only lasted 18 years.

They were abolished in 1948 and replaced by Norfolk County Council children's committee.

A report by the children's officer to the children's committee on 5 May 1954 (C/C 10/81) provides some useful information about the county council children's homes. The report states:

"Under Section 15 of the Children Act, the Local Authority must provide residential accommodation for children who for the time being are deprived of their own home life.

"The Children's Committee took over from the Public Assistance Authority six Children's Homes for children of school age and one Nursery for children from 2-5 years of age as follows:

• The Old Rectory, Gresham - 24 children of school age. Now 20 children.
• The Red House, Little Snoring - 20 children of school age. Now 12 children.
• Garfield House, East Dereham - 30 children of school age. Now 20 children.
• Shiels Court, Brundall - 20 boys, eight to 15 years.
• Briardale, Long Stratton - 12 children of school age. Now nine children.
• Denver Hall, Downham Market - 20 children, two to five years.

"These Homes were all reasonably small and the Children's Committee were fortunate in that they did not inherit any of the very large institutional type of Children's Homes.

"They have been improved in many ways and in several cases the number of children accommodated has been reduced so that they are now all small Homes.

"The following Homes have been opened since the Children's Committee was established in 1948:

• The Durdans, Mundesley - Nursery 0-5 years.
• The Grange, Overstrand - 22 children of school age.
• Girls' Hostel, 191 College Road, Norwich - 14 adolescent girls.
• Reception Home, Grove House, East Dereham - 30 children.
• Boys' Hostel, 60 Norwich Road, North Walsham - eight adolescent boys."

The children's officer added in this same report of 5 May 1954: "Since the opening of Grove House as a Reception Home the use of the nursery accommodation in County Homes [the former Workhouses or Public Assistance Institutions] is no longer required for children in the care of the Children's Committee."

The report also reveals that diminishing numbers of children were also accommodated in five county homes (the former public assistance institutions or workhouses):

• Downham Market (Howdale Home) - 41 children in 1951, 57 in 1952, eight in 1953
• Gressenhall (Beech House) - four children in 1951, none in 1952, one in 1953
• Lingwood (Homelea) - 18 children in 1951, 18 in 1952, 11 in 1953
• Pulham Market (Hill House) - 23 children in 1951, 25 in 1952, 10 in 1953
• West Beckham (Beckham House) - one child in 1951, none in 1952, three children in 1953

Records, 1948-74

• Norfolk County Council children's committee, 1948-70 (C/C 10/79-87).
• Norfolk County Council social services committee, 1970-74.
• Registers of children under control of county council, 1930-71 (C/SS 7/64-66). Closed to public access for 100 years.
• Register of children admitted into care, 1950-71 (C/SS 7/67). Closed to public access for 100 years.
• Register of children discharged from care, 1950-71 (C/SS 7/68). Closed to public access for 100 years.
• Denver Hall Nursery register, 1947-51 (C/SS 7/69). Closed to public access for 100 years.
• The Durdans Children's Home, Mundesley, registers, 1949-88 (ACC 1998/158). Closed to public access for 100 years.
• Garfield House (East Dereham) record book, 1947-73 (ACC 2004/101). Closed to public access for 100 years.

The Local Government Act of 1972 made Norfolk County Council responsible for social services throughout Norfolk.

This included taking over the responsibilities of Norwich and Great Yarmouth, which had previously acted independently.

The changes came into effect on 1 April 1974.

The county council's social services department and the education department were reorganised in 2005 to form adult social services and children's services.

Records, 1974 onwards

• Register of children in Norwich discharged from the care of Norwich City Council and (from April 1974) Norfolk County Council, Dec 1950 - Sept 1983 (ACC 2004/101). Closed to public access for 100 years.
• Assumption of parental rights files, 1974-87 (ACC 2006/231) .Files for names beginning with letters T, U, V and Wa are missing. Closed to public access for 100 years.
• Record cards relating to children in care, 1970s-1980s (ACC 2006/231). Information from the cards has been entered on a computer database by children's services. Closed to public access for 100 years.

We have very few records relating to children's homes and children in care after 1974.

Details on how to obtain personal information is available from Norfolk County Council.