Clarendon Children's Home Records (1905 - 2006)

Access Conditions

Access to personal information in these records is subject to conditions to protect the privacy of individuals. You will need to provide proof of identity and/or relationship. Individuals wishing to see these records should contact Clarendon Children.

Records

Clarendon Children's Home Records includes admission and discharge records, photographs and slides, minute books and annual reports for the Home of Mercy and Clarendon Children's Home. There are also a few records relevant to Roland Boys' Home.

These records were catalogued, indexed and digitised as part of the Records Access Documentation Grants in 2017.

The collection includes the following records:

• Admission and Discharge Records, 1930-2006 (incomplete) include:
  • Hand written book, 1930-1950 - Contains child's full name, date of birth, date of admission and discharge and adoption information from Home of Mercy.
  • Children's cards - Index cards from Clarendon Children's Home, Kingston Beach, 1945-mid 1970s - Generally include child's full name, date of birth, parent(s) name and contact information, reason for admission, health issues, maintenance details (if applicable) and discharge information.
  • Applications and Maintenance Questionnaires, 1952-1971
  • Children's files - compilation of materials from Clarendon Children's Home, mid 1970s-2006 - Contains admission details, medical history including psychologist comments, personal and family details, education, occupation and sports interests. These files often refer to the Cottage in which the child was placed.
• Minute Books, 1923-2006 include:
  • Board of Management Meetings and House Committee Meetings Minutes - Contain information related to the management and day to day operations of the Home of Mercy and Clarendon Children's Home. They include names of committee members, staffing issues, summary of matron's report, some names of children (usually only by first name), general health and education issues, property and equipment maintenance, requisitions, finances and bequests.
  • Matron's Reports to Board of Management and House Committee - Provides numbers of children in care, information about mothers, the health and or development of individual children (generally referred to by first names only), and staff training, performance & issues.
• Photograph Albums, 1970s-2004 - Contains seven photograph albums with images of buildings, children, house parents, events at the Clarendon Children's Home including Christmas parties and excursions and holiday photos. Some of the photos have the child's name written underneath them.
• Slides, mid 1960s-early 1990s - Includes images of children and staff, including group images of girls in their school uniform.
• Clarendon House Files, 1905-2004 (incomplete) includes the following annual reports:
  • Summaries of Annual Reports for Home of Mercy and Hope Cottage printed in Church News, 1905-1910 (incomplete)
  • Summaries of Annual Reports for Home of Mercy and Hope Cottage printed in Church News with several letters to the Editor, 1911-1923
  • Annual Reports of Home of Mercy, 1911-1949
  • Diocesan Children's Homes Reports, 1950-1959 - Includes Home of Mercy & Babies Home in New Town, 1950-1953, Clarendon Children's Home and Home of Mercy in Kingston Beach, 1950-1959 and Roland Boys' Home in Sheffield, 1951-1959.
  • Diocesan Children's Homes Reports, 1960-1969 - Includes Clarendon Children's Home and Home of Mercy, Kingston Beach and Roland Boys' Home, Sheffield
  • Reports cover the transition to cottage based care, 1970-1979
  • Cottage care, 1980-1989 - The reports deal with staffing and activities.
• Matron & Canon Crouch Personal Collection, c.1961-c.1973 - Includes:
  • Birthday books created by the children for the Matron with the children's artwork and messages inside, they often include a photo of the girl who made the page.
  • Photograph album, contains individual and group photos of children and staff at the Mount Royal, Kingston Beach site and some newspaper items. Many photos have the child's names below the photo.
• Mount Royal [Kingston Beach] Site Plans, 1948, 1970s and 2004 - Includes site maps and documents from Surveyors to Clarendon Children's Home and Kingborough Council. Documents are about the initial redevelopment of the site in 1948, plans for the cottage development in the 1970s and the subdivision and selling of the land in 2004.