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Josiah Mason's Orphanage

Valerie I can only echo what Jennyann has said. It is a wonderful account of your early life. It makes those who didn't experience these things understand some of the awful times children had. Thank you for sharing this with us.
 
Hello jennyann

It was nice to receive a message from you. I am completely new to this website; I was accepted into it this morning which pleased me greatly. I only came by its existence whilst doing a bit of googling. I typed in Sir Josiah Mason's Orphanage and, hey ho, this lovely website came up and I didn't waste a minute before accessing it.

I'm not clear as to whether many Posters have spent time in Mason's but, if so, I'm so keen to learn more about the orphanage from the mid-50s to when it closed down, without warning or rumour.

I've travelled to Erdington to take a look at the site where the beautiful Home stood for so very many years. I stood completely mesmerised by Sir Josiah Mason's statue; it was a monumental experience for me, since the statue of the wonderful man who offered me a bed, food and warmth was there to see set in stone and I have a lot to be thankful for.

I wish I had pictures of myself during the years in Mason's: I don't own 1 picture from my childhood years so have no idea of what I looked like, other than suffering with a convergent squint and wearing national health spectacles. I used to be called "cockeye" and "four eyes" by my brothers and it affected my self esteem badly, as well as made me feel constantly angry and inferior.

I keep going back to look at the pictures of the dining hall and the children sitting at the long tables, all with short hair and in uniform. I wonder where they are now, how many are still alive and living successful lives?

I must have been a little rogue in Mason's because I jumped at any opportunity put my way to get into the orchard and steal a few apples and pears. I used to put them under my pillow but seem to remember that I was caught out one time, albeit it didn't deter me from future leanings!

I do hope there will be more postings in the future.

Thank you for responding to my earlier posting jennyann.

valerie
 
Hello Rowan,

I've just joined the Forum today having found a link to your posting when I did a Google search for Josiah Mason's Orphanage on the Internet. May I ask permission please to use these photos in a presentation I am doing to a Ladies Group at my church? My theme is "Who do you think you are?" as per the popular BBC programme and I'm going to share some snippets from my own family history. My 3rd great aunt, Miss Fanny Wright, born Reading 1840, was Matron of the Orphanage. She retired in 1894. I will post some photographs I have of her.

Many thanks
 
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I have a friend who spent a few of his younger years in J.M.O. His only childood memories are from there. He bought some photos for me to look at and I tidied them up a bit and re-printed them for him. If anyone is interested I could borrow them and post some for others to see.
 
Hello there.
I am tring to find details of my mother and aunt who went to the JMO around 1905-1910. Do you have any further information after your relation retired as matron? Hopefully. Shirley Coleman
 
Dear Valerie,
Lovely to read your message. When did you go to the JMO? Kind regards. Shirley Coleman (my mother and aunt went there around 1905)
 
Hello Shirley,

I'm sorry. I'm afraid I haven't got anything about the Orphange at all.

I knew from a very early age that I had a relative connected with an Orphanage in a place called Erdington because as a small child the china cabinet presented to Fanny as a retirement present (and suitably inscribed) was in my grandparents' flat in Liverpool and I used to enjoy looking at the minature tea set it contained when I visited during the summer holidays. We lived in Glasgow when I was a child so it was usually just a fortnight each year we spent with Gran and Grandad.

When my grandparents died my mother inherited the china cabinet and it moved to London, Bristol and Cambridgeshire.

I first came to Birmingham in 1975 and in 1989 moved to Wylde Green. Three years later my mother moved to a bungalow just off Penns Lane which (for those who don't know the area) is a turning off Orphange Rd. So the china cabinet has come home!

In 1999 I got a job in Honeywell House on the corner of Orphanage Rd. My office was on the 8th floor and the kitchen area overlooked the entire length of Orphanage Rd. I find it incredible that from my first awareness of this lady, when I lived hundreds of miles away in Glasgow, and with no other family connection to Birmingham at all (Fanny was born in Reading) I ended up working in the road where she had worked and Mum and myself both living with half a mile of the spot.

Fanny retired to Liverpool in 1894 to live with her brother, who had recently lost his wife. My 3rd great uncle was a music publisher in Liverpool and was very wealthy. When Fanny left the Orphanage she took with her one of the orphans - a 12 year old girl called Louisa Barnes (known as Lulu), who she adopted as her daughter and to whom she subsequently left most of the £28,000 she left in her will when she died in 1928.

My mother remembers visiting Fanny (her father's great aunt) when she was a very small girl and for a number of years after that visiting Lulu until she emigrated to the States. She remembers that they were both very kind to her.

Sorry that I don't have anything else to contribute but perhaps this snippet about someone who worked at the Orphanage does shed a little light on the personality and motivation of one individual who worked at the Orphanage.
 
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Here is a photo of Miss Fanny Wright, Matron of Mason's Orphanage, Erdington in the 1880s.
 
My late father said he went to Sir Josiah Mason's 'School' would he have meant the orphanage, or was there another school as well? This would be late 30s.

He wasn't an orphan strictly speaking, his father died when he was 8 leaving Mum and 5 kids, with Dad as the youngest.

TimP
 
Hi TimP

Your father didn't have to be an orphan to be in Sir Josiah Mason's Orphanage, some children had both parents some had one and some no parents at all.

There was a day school there too.........so he could have been in either.

Hope you are able to solve the "mystery".

rowan
 
Hi Stitcher,
Please do post the photos if at all possible.

They are sure to bring back memories (good or bad) to many people.
Rowan
 
Quizcreator what a lovely and facinating story. I remember the orphanage well as my aunts garden backed onto the grounds.The photo of Fanny is lovely.
 
Hi All , We are new to this site having found our G<G<Grandfather and his sisters Charles and Selina and Adelaide Swingler were in the Orphanage around the 1881 cenus. At the moment that is all we know. Fred
 
rowan said:
Hi TimP

Your father didn't have to be an orphan to be in Sir Josiah Mason's Orphanage, some children had both parents some had one and some no parents at all.

There was a day school there too.........so he could have been in either.

Hope you are able to solve the "mystery".

rowan
Click to expand...
Hello Rowan,
I am new to this site, and you are quite right, you did not need to be an Orphan to be in Sir Johsir mason's, I was not an orphan but I was there, at that time though there was No day school yenton primary had been built and by then we all went out to school. I was very happy there and deemed it a privladge to be there, this first cought my eye when I read that some one had put self glorification in the same breath as Sir Johsire Mason? I have to confess it git my danger up and I registard her but it took a few days to be cleared. by then, My Danger had subsided, I realised they had no real knowlage about it. when I figuer it out as to how to upload a photo I will upload one of the senior girls dorm, and yes I am there, allbait it I am the smallest one there,
 
Anyone wanting information about the orphanage, Can get this first hand from the old masonians reunion Committee.
 
Hello Suzette and welcome to this lovely site with its lovely people.

You will find that there are quite a few of us Old Masonians here, some with good memories, like yourself and some, sadly not so good.

Were you there when Mr & Mrs Cleaver were Govenor and Matron? they were lovely people and it was a great honour to have them guide us through our childhood.

Please do post any photo's you have as it may lead to people who knew you and prompt other memories.

I am always proud to say "I am what Sir Josiah Mason's made me" and try to live by our school motto "Do Deeds Of Love".

What years were you there?.

Welcome again and enjoy.
 
Hello Rowan. I was there till the END when we all had to leave, I was 14 years old then, They Pulled my home down In 1964 I think. I know it was round that date, I can easley check with the commitee, Thank you for your warm welcome.
 
Some great stories here, both happy and sad, could i ask if any of the lads who were placed here remember Norman (red hair nickname Tiger) and Gordon (known as Tommy) Handley at all, if you do, could you please IM me, many thanks Claire
 
Pam,you can send her a message ,click into her username on her last posting and you will see the place to send instant message.
 
I sent her an IM intially but she does not appear to have opened it. I suppose I will just have to be patient.
Thank you.
 
Hi

Does anyone know whether a Register of children exists?

I attended SJM in the late 1940's and was there for about 3/4 years at which time my parents became reconciled.

I tried Social Services in Birmingham and they stated that they thought that all records had been lost or destroyed. Perhaps not!

I was amazed to learn that many of the children attending were not actually orphans and had one or (like myself) both parents still alive.

Like many others. I too remember the glass cases with stuffed animals and for some reason the photo of the chapel brings back particular memories.
 
Hi there,
Unfortunately all records of 'innmates' were burned (purposely) when the building was pulled down. Unfortunately there was nothing to stop this kind of practise at the time. You will however get some information from betty.foster@virgin.net. She runs an organisation that holds reunions and so on. A very knowledgeable lady who attended the orphanage herself.
Please get in touch with her. My father was at the orpanage until 1951 - you may remember Norman Handley?
 
I have joined today and have found the photograph of the dining room in Sir Josiah Mason's I remember sitting at the table in the foreground 3rd seat on left, dreading the moment the food would be dished up and I would be faced with another inedible meal. How I hated being there[ 1951-1953] Miss Griffin was our house mistress and the Watkins were headmaster & matron,
The regime was Dickensian & would not be allowed today.
Other girls at the same time were Jean Trenfield, Joan and Barbara Taylor, Maisie Holmes, Eileen Piddington, Maturi siblings, Irene [cant remember her surname] Yvonne Haig Harrison Mrs Weiss was cook, Miss Bratt was in charge of the youngest children and Mr 'Mad' Hall the intermediate boys, Mr Lorimer was the house master for the older boys and I remember one called Walter Dodd.

Does anyone remember any of this???
 
Hi Rowan and all
memories are flooding back after reading the messages, does Room 76 mean anything to the girls I remember we had to go and sew there it was off the main corridor { with the stuffed birds etc} also I seemed to be forever working, a duty virtually every evening, I hated Kitchen duty because I had to empty large canvas bags full of old tea leaves that had been used in the urns and to this day I am terrified of tea leaves!!! we also had to work before breakfast and we were given numbers I was girl 21, how I detested it. I also remember the cockroaches in the place we had to clean shoes. One thing I have always rememberd vividly [I saw it again in your picture of the babies room ]is the Dolls House, but in my day it was in the sick room, it was the most beautiful one I have ever seen.
We only went to our chapel 3 weeks out of 4 the other week we were marched to some other local church. Thursday nights was choir practice.

I suffered regular nightmares about Masons for almost 40 years in fact until about 20 years ago and it was always about the glass cases and the birds and animals breaking out. I am unsure if I benefitted in any way from my time there except to say I certainly appreciated my next school I was 13 when I left after 2 awful years behind that huge door. would love to hear from anyone best to all
 
Oh Hannah.............you have the same memories as I have except I left before Watkins were there. Mr and Mrs Clever were Govenor and Matron.

Miss Bratt shut me in the toy room and left me there all night when I was in the babies...........how I've hated that woman ever since. I have to have a tiny light on somewhere in the house 24 hours because of her. Cruel woman she was, BRATT by name and BRATT by nature!!

I recall the Taylor girls and Masie Holmes also the Kessler girls and Madeline and James Emslie and Billy Maggs.
 
Do you remember Muriel Bramley, Barbara Westlake?? I remember Madeline Emslie her bed was next to mine, also we had to wear two pairs of knickers, a navy pair and a white pair called linings and they were only change once a week agh!!!!!!! Do you remember Jeremy Brannan in Miss Brats he was my cousin Cheers Rowan
 
Oh yes I remember the two pairs of knickers navy blue on top of liners some of which could be white pink or pale blue. Have you ever thought how many others "shared" those liners before they came to you?!!!!

I hated those stuffed animals along that endless corridor. I loved the garden and the orchard also the fields all sadly gone now to a housing estate.

I remember the drying horses and those oh so deep baths with only a tiny drop of water in to wash with.

The black iron beds and the bedspreads and making the beds with hospital corners, ronuking the dorms with those huge bumpers and cleaning the baths with gumption. Gosh we were unpaid skivvies really weren't we?

Oh well the motto was good "Do Deeds of Love"...............but I do think we learnt to be good citizens and we were taught right from wrong and it also taught us to be independant and that has stood me in good stead all my life.............pity we weren't taught love tho!!
Too many of us I suppose
 
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