Great Yarmouth children's homes

We have separate guides for homes in Norwich and the rest of Norfolk. 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 at the Norfolk Record Office (NRO) for further information.

The Poor Law Unions were responsible for the maintenance 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.

Here, unlike most of their contemporaries, they did receive some basic education.

There was a growing movement in the early 20th century 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.

"The parish of Great Yarmouth was constituted as an Union under the New Poor Law, in March 1837, and was authorised to expend £7,100 in the erection of a new workhouse, which stands on the North Denes, and is a commodious brick building, with room for 400 paupers. The old workhouse, which had sometimes more than 300 inmates, formed, with the Children's Hospital, the remains of the ancient Hospital of St Mary ...." 

(William White, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk (Sheffield, 1845) p265)

The Poor Law Unions were abolished in 1930, following the Local Government Act of the previous year.

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

Poor Law Union records, 1834-1930

• Board and committee minutes, 1837-42, 1859-61, 1889-91 (Y/WE 69-72). All other minute books before 1910 were destroyed by bombing during the Second World War.
• Board and committee (including homes committee, children's committee and boarding out committee) signed minutes, 1910-30 (Y/WE 73-155).
• Duplicate board and committee unsigned minutes, 1910-15 (Y/WE 157-161).
• Boarding out committee (boarding out and district nursing committee from April 1928, boarding out, district nursing and children's committee from January 1933) minutes, 1927-42 (Y/WE 209).
• Children's homes, Gorleston, admission and discharge register (listing 'Cottage' to which sent), 1914-33 (Y/WE 305).
• Children's homes, Gorleston, register of children in care (one child per page), 1918-27 (Y/WE 306).
• Children's home case papers, 1910-43 (Y/WE 310-311). Closed to public inspection for 100 years.

The minutes of the homes committee of the Board of Guardians in 1910 (Y/WE 73) refer to the Children's Home, the Boys' Home and the Girls' Home. 

The admission and discharge register labelled The Children's Home Gorleston, 1914-33 (Y/WE 305) includes a column headed 'To what Cottage sent'.

The entries include Probation Home, Receiving Home, The Oaks, The Hollies and Ivy Cottage in 1914. 

The Elms and Rose Cottage had been added by 1922.

These seem to have been small units in the vicinity of Gorleston's Addison Road and the number of children reported as being in the homes was usually in the twenties.

Ferryside, High Street, Gorleston was acquired as a children's home in 1948 and the finance sub-committee reported the costs to the welfare services committee on 12 November 1948 (Y/WE 308). 

Great Yarmouth County Borough Council took over responsibility for the care of children from the Poor Law Unions.

It established a public assistance committee to which the boarding out and district nursing committee reported.

This latter body was renamed the boarding out, district nursing and children's committee in January 1933.

The public assistance committee became the social welfare committee in November 1945. 

Between June 1948 and February 1949, the boarding out and children's homes sub-committee reported to the new welfare services committee.

A separate children's committee was established in March 1949, reporting directly to the council.

The social services committee was formed in January 1971, with a children's homes and boarding out sub-committee and a welfare services sub-committee. 

Great Yarmouth County Borough Council's responsibilities for social services were transferred to Norfolk County Council on April 1 1974 in a nationwide reorganisation of local government.

Borough council records, 1930-74

• Public assistance committee minutes, 1929-46 (Y/WE 156,162-194).
• Boarding out committee (boarding out and district nursing committee from April 1928, boarding out, district nursing and children's committee from January 1933) minutes, 1927-42 (Y/WE 209).
• Social welfare committee (including boarding out, district nursing and children's committee) minutes, 1946-48 (Y/WE 195-199).
• Welfare services committee (including boarding out and children's committee), 1948-49 (Y/WE 308).
• Children's committee minutes, 1949-71, and social services committee minutes, 1971-74, have not been deposited in the NRO. Edited extracts are to be found in the printed series of council and committee minutes, 1949-71 (Y/TC 88/37-61).
• Register of children boarded out, 1941-48 (Y/WE 297). Closed to public access for 100 years.  
• Children's homes, Gorleston, admission and discharge register (listing 'Cottage' to which sent), 1914-33 (Y/WE 305). Closed to public access for 100 years.  
• Children's homes, Gorleston, register of children in care (one child per page), 1918-27 (Y/WE 306). Closed to public access for 100 years.  
• Children's home case papers, 1910-43 (Y/WE 310- 311). Closed to public inspection for 100 years.

We have very few records relating to children's homes and children in care after 1974. Norfolk County Council has more information on accessing data.