Figure 1.-- This boy's jacket was on display in the Bolton Museum. The accompaning information read, "This jacket is over a hundred years old. It would have been wirn by a young boy, possibly from Edgworth Home, a forner children's home which later becane Crowthorn School. It was discovered by Anith Forth, an Edgworth Home historian. Anita, who worked at Crowthorn School from 1983 until its closure in 2002, recovered the items in Auhust 2013. after revisting the school. She said, 'I saw some workmen on the site of Crowthorn school and got talking to one of them, who said there were some items in the air vent of the chapel which had been thrown into a skip.' Edgworth Home was founded in 1872 by a Methodist minister, Reverend Thomas Bowman Stephenson. Anita believes the jacket may have come from London, as many children who lived in the home were moved from the capital to the north. The conservation of the jacket were generously funded by Friends of the Bolton Museum.

The children taken in by the NCH were often wearing rags, often barefoot. Thus they had to be prpvided clothing. We have very lottle information about what was provided. We do not even know if there was a uniform. The Methodstt Church may have conducted clothing drives. And new clothing must have been purchased for the children as well. An English reader has found a jacket on display at the Bolton Museum. It was discovered at an old NCH home -- Edgeworth Home which became Crowthorn School. It is believed to have dated to the late-19th century. It is believed to have dated to the late-19th century. It is a grey jacket, we think a flannel cut-away jacket. Our English reader writes, " I think this was the type of clothes the orphanage provided for the boys to wear. It is thought that many orphans came from London. It is thought that it was worn by a child sent up from London. It does not seem that the society would have sent children wearing worn out clothes. I am of the opinion that they would have been given good clothes for the journey. The material looks like it was hard wearing so it would have lasted a long time."

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Created: 4:58 AM 9/5/2020
Last update: 4:59 AM 9/5/2020