Thomas John Barnardo

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Tom Barnardo, around 1868

Thomas John "Tom" Barnardo (born July 4, 1845 in Dublin , † September 19, 1905 in London ) was an Irish philanthropist and founder and director of homes for poor children. From the founding of the first Barnardo’s home in 1867 until his death, he helped to save nearly 60,000 children from their misery, to raise them and to help them lead a better life.

Although Barnardo had never graduated from the London Hospital, he used the doctorate. He later obtained a diploma.

life and work

Early years

Barnardo was the first of five children (one died in childbirth) of furrier John Michaelis Barnardo and his second wife Abigail, an Englishwoman who was a member of the Plymouth Brethren . John Michaelis Barnardo emigrated from Hamburg to Dublin in the early 1840s , where he opened a shop; he married twice and had seven children. The origin of the Barnardo family is unclear; the family "was able to trace its roots back to Venice , later, in the 16th century, the conversion to the Lutheran Church followed", while others reported of German-Jewish roots.

"Dr." Barnardo's homes

Group picture of some children outside a Barnardo home
Commemorative plaque
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns

Barnardo wrote that as a young child he was selfish and believed that anything that was not his should be his. But as he got older, he overcame that attitude to help the poor instead.

Barnardo moved to London in 1866. With the intention of qualifying for medical missionary work in China, Barnardo studied medicine at the local hospital, later in Paris and Edinburgh, where he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh .

Through the evangelistic work he did in addition to his medical studies in London, he became aware of the large numbers of homeless and needy children who roamed the cities of England. Encouraged by the support of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury , and Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl of Cairns , he abandoned his original intention of going to China as a missionary and began what would become his life's work. In the 1860s, a school opened in the East End of London to care for and raise children in the area who were orphaned and destitute by a recent cholera outbreak. In 1870 he founded a boys ' orphanage at 18 Stepney Causeway, London and later a girls' home. From then on the workload of his humanitarian endeavors increased steadily; by his death in 1905 he had established 112 district homes, as well as mission branches, throughout the United Kingdom .

The task of these institutions was to look for and take in homeless people and strays and to give them food, clothing and education. The system according to which the institution operated can be roughly described as follows: the toddlers and younger girls and boys were essentially “relocated” to rural areas; Girls over the age of 14 were sent to industrial training homes to learn meaningful domestic activities; Boys over the age of 17 were first tried in work homes and then employed at home, sent to sea or emigrated; Boys between the ages of 13 and 17 were trained for various trades for which they appeared mentally or physically suitable. In addition to the branches necessary for these tasks, there were also a. also a rescue home for girls in serious danger, a convalescent home by the sea and a hospital for the seriously ill.

There was an early controversy surrounding Barnardo's work. Specifically, he was accused of abducting children without their parents' consent or forging photographs of children to make the difference between before and after they were rescued by Barnardos more dramatic. He openly acknowledged the former of these allegations, describing it as a "philanthropic kidnapping," basing his defense on the idea that the outcome justified the means. He has been charged on a total of 88 cases, usually with kidnapping. But as a charismatic speaker and popular personality, he emerged unscathed from these scandals. Other allegations made against him included showing up posed pictures of children for Barnardo's “before and after” cards and neglecting the basic hygiene of the children under his care.

Barnardo and his wife Syrie received a house in Barkingside as a wedding gift . There he created a 24 hectare rural retreat as a living opportunity for impoverished children who had grown up in a village environment. On July 9, 1876, the village girls' home with 12 country houses was officially opened by Lord Cairns. In the same year a modern steam laundry was opened. By 1906, the number of country houses had grown to 66, providing homes for 1,300 girls. The cottages were spread over three village green near Mossford Lodge at Barkingside, Ilford , Essex , which opened in 1873. In 1894 a multi-confessional children's church was established and the village girls' home had become a real “garden city”.

In 1899 the various institutions and organizations were brought together under the name The National Association for the Reclamation of Destitute Waif Children , but the institution was always under its popular name “Dr. Barnardo's Homes ”. Barnardo placed great emphasis on the religious upbringing of the children under his care. (As early as 1911 it is reported that every child is brought up in the denomination of its parents. For religious education, the homes are divided into two sections, namely for the Church of England and for the nonconformists; children with Jewish or Roman Catholic parents will, as far as possible, be handed over to the care of the Jewish Board of Guardians in London or Roman Catholic institutions.)

In 1877 Barnardo was a general practitioner at the Smedley Hydro Hotel in Southport . He also opened a children's school in Birkdale while living in Southport.

From November 1889, Barnardo was a member of the Masonic Lodge Shadwell Clerke Lodge No. 1910 and also a member of the Orange Order in Dublin.

marriage and family

In June 1873, Barnardo married Sarah Louise Elmslie (1842-1944), known by the name Syrie, the daughter of William Elmslie, an insurance agent for Lloyd's of London , who was also a charity. Syrie shared her husband's interest in evangelistic and social work. The couple settled at Mossford Lodge, Essex , where they had seven children; three of them died early.

Family life with its on the one hand very religious and philanthropic and on the other hand prosperous background had some peculiarities. So they read the Bible together, and it was a pleasure for the children and the like. a. forbidden to go to the theater.

William Somerset Maugham 1934
Photographer: Carl van Vechten

Her third child, the eldest daughter Gwendolyn Maud Syrie (1879–1955), also known as her mother by the name Syrie, escaped their religious family in 1901 and married the wealthy businessman Henry Wellcome, later the author William Somerset Maugham , and became one prominent London interior designer of the 1920s and 1930s.

Another child, Marjorie, was apparently mentally disabled; the disability may have been Down syndrome , but details are unknown.

Suspected as "Jack the Ripper"

During the Whitechapel murders, " Jack the Rippers " were suspected of being a medical practitioner in the area. Barnardo was also mentioned as a possible suspect from 1970. The “ripperologist” Gary Rowlands later theorized that Barnardo felt anger from his lonely childhood that led him to murder prostitutes. However, there is not the slightest evidence that he committed the murders. Critics also pointed out that his age and appearance did not match any of the descriptions of the "Ripper".

death

Thomas John Barnardo died of angina at the age of 60 and was buried outside Cairns House, Barkingside, Essex. The house is now the headquarters of the child welfare he founded, Barnardo's.

legacy

After Barnardo's death, a national memorial foundation worth £ 250,000 was set up to keep the various institutions liquid and to put the entire work on a permanent basis. William Baker, the former chairman of the council, was elected honorary chairman to succeed the home founder. Barnardo was the author of 192 books dealing with the charitable work to which he had dedicated his life.

From the establishment of the homes in 1870 until Barnardo's death, nearly 60,000 children were taken in, most of them educated and then released. At the time of his death, Barnardo's aid organization was caring for over 8,500 children in 96 homes. His work was carried on by his many followers under the name "Dr Barnardo's Homes". Following social changes in the mid-20th century, the charity shifted its focus from direct child care to foster care and adoption , renaming itself "Dr Barnardo's". After the closure of her last traditional orphanage in 1989, she adopted the simpler name “Barnardo's”. Barnardo's official mascot is a bear named Barney. Queen Elizabeth II is the current patroness of Barnardo's. Javet Khan is the chief executive officer. Barnardos was implicated in the forced child migration scandal, in which children with poor social backgrounds were taken to the former colonies (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa) by churches and charities without parental consent and even with false death declarations. Although it was a legal practice, supported by government and society, in many cases the children suffered harsh living conditions and many were victims of physical and, in some cases, sexual abuse. This approach continued into the 1970s. This resulted in a public apology from Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2010.

Remembrance day

September 19 in the Evangelical Name Calendar .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  2. ^ Samuel J. Rogal: Barnardo, John Michaelis . In: A William Somerset Maugham encyclopedia . Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997, ISBN 978-0-313-29916-2 (Accessed October 23, 2011).
  3. ^ The life of Thomas Barnardo .
  4. ↑ Mark Oliver: The echoes of Barnardo's altered imagery . In: The Guardian , October 3, 2002. 
  5. ^ A b Sara Wrightman: The birthplace of Barnardo’s . In: Essex Life , Archant, June 2008, pp. 88-89. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2009. 
  6. ↑ Danielle Manning: Heritage Open Days offer an insight into the history of Smedley Hydro . In: Southport Visiter , October 8, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2011. 
  7. ↑ Yasha Beresiner: Thomas Barnardo - "The Doctor" and Freemason ( Memento from July 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ Dr TJ Barnardo (under "Charity") ( Memento from August 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Homepage: United Grand Lodge of England (accessed on February 23, 2017)
  9. ↑ FAQ's . Dublin and Wicklow Loyal Orange Lodge 1313. 2010. Archived from the original on September 5, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  10. ^ Samuel J. Rogal: Maugham, Gwendolyn Maude Syrie Barnardo . In: A William Somerset Maugham encyclopedia . Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997, ISBN 978-0-313-29916-2 , pp. 160-163 (accessed October 23, 2011).
  11. ↑ Philip Hoare: "Syrie Maugham" on oxforddnb.com (accessed September 16, 2013)
  12. ^ Samuel J. Rogal: Barnardo, Sara Louise (Syrie) Elmslie . In: A William Somerset Maugham encyclopedia . Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997, ISBN 978-0-313-29916-2 , p. 5 (Accessed October 23, 2011).
  13. ↑ "Dr. Thomas Barnardo" . Casebook. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  14. ^ John J. Eddleston: Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia , ABC-CLIO 2001, p. 197, ISBN 1-57607-414-5
  15. ^ The Public Funeral . In: The Goldonian Web . Goldings The William Baker Memorial Technical School for Boys. 2003. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  16. ↑ Sara Wrightman: The birthplace of Barnardo's . In: Essex Life , Archant, June 2008, pp. 88-89. Retrieved February 3, 2009. 
  17. ↑ The history of Barnardo’s . Barnardo's. 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  18. ^ Clare Jerrom: Martin Narey interview, Communitycare.co.uk, January 2006 . Communitycare.co.uk. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  19. ↑ The Guardian, February 27, 2017

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Barnardo, Thomas John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Barnardo, Tom
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Philanthropist, founder and director of homes for impoverished children
DATE OF BIRTH 4th July 1845
PLACE OF BIRTH Dublin , Ireland
DATE OF DEATH September 19, 1905
Place of death London , England, UK