England, History of Education Charity Schools - International Institute

Charity Schools
Most surviving records of charity schools will be found in county archives or local record offices, and some have been filmed. Christ’s Hospital, London, (a school, not a hospital in today’s sense), was established in 1553 for orphans or those whose parents were unable to care for them. There are 357 films covering 1554-1911, with later dates still kept at the School. The records concerning pupils comprise the chronologically arranged presentation papers in which children can be traced by means of the indexes called children’s registers. Presentation papers for boys and girls seeking admission to Christ’s Hospital contain:


 * Completed petition by the parent or guardian of the child giving personal and financial circumstances
 * Certification by the minister, churchwardens or others from the parish
 * Copies of the baptism entry of the child and the marriage entry of the parents.

Most are very ordinary people but there are some well-known men who got their start here, such as Charles Lamb, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, James Henry Leigh Hunt, and the 4th son of the poet Robert Burns, which entry from film 1067350 is used below.

Chart:Presentation Papers to Christ’s Hospital for James Glencairn Burns 1802


 * Continued from the last page


 * Handwritten copies of baptism and marriage entries


 * Here there is pasted an obituary dated 30 Aug 1935 the The Times:

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