Barnardo’s Home for Children
By Elwood Jones, Historian Trent Valley Archives & Newspaper Journalist
Thomas John Barnardo (1845-1905) opened numerous homes for destitute boys and girls across
England. In 1884, Dr. Barnardo opened his first receiving and distribution home, Hazelbrae, in Peterborough, Ontario. The name was later changed to the Margaret Cox Home for Girls. By 1889, Hazelbrae became the distribution home for girls, while boys were sent to the Toronto Home. There are still signs of Peterborough’s connection to Dr. Barnardo and the impressive child emigration program he led. Peterborough was one of his main distribution centres, Hazelbrae, for girls after 1888. He was inducted into the Peterborough Pathway of Fame and has a marker in Del Crary Park. The monument on Barnardo Ave is located in front of the former Queen Alexandra school. There is a marker on the former laneway from George Street to Hazelbrae next to Sadleir House. The Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, published by Trent Valley Archives, has the names of all the Barnardo emigrants who came to Peterborough from 1883 to 1922. Most families that were in this area by the 1920s have some connection to a Barnardo child. The Hazelbrae building was demolished in 1930; in time, homes were built along O’Carroll Avenue, as well as an apartment building along the pedestrian and bicycle trail. There has been speculation among historians that the industrial revolution created problems for families. In earlier times, children could work along side their parents. In the early industrial era, some children could work near their parents in textile factories or coal mines where the nimble fingers of children or their small stature could be advantages. However, as social policy started to emphasize the importance of education in schools there was also a movement to end child labour in the factories. Dr. Barnardo’s “waifs and strays” may have been 38
children who became separated from their working parents. The prevailing image is that most child emigrants supported by Barnardo and the other child emigration agencies were orphans, at least in the sense of having lost at least one parent by death or desertion. But the story is more complex. In 1885, the Barnardo organization had six Barnardo homes in Britain. In the preface to his 1885 book, Barnardo thanked “every childreader whose kindly expressed sympathy with my poor orphan-little-ones has cheered and helped me during the past year.” The Barnardo organization also had its presence in Canada. Dr. Barnardo visited Peterborough August 14, 1884 and spoke to a large crowd at the Bradburn Opera House. To become a member of Trent Valley Archives, please go to www.trentvalleyarchives.com