The Story of the Westerham Foundlings—an Exhibition at Quebec House

Westerham and the Foundling Hospital

In 1739, Thomas Coram established the Foundling Hospital in London for the ‘education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children.’ It was the first example of children’s social care in the UK and marked the beginning of Coram.

Not long after opening, the London Foundling Hospital found itself unable to meet the ever-increasing demands on its services and branch hospitals were needed. The town of Westerham, Kent was considered to be a good location benefiting from its fresh air, proximity to London and for having ‘several Gentlemen thereabouts of great Property & Character, very fit to be entrusted with the Management of such an Hospital….’

‘wee are very Pleassently situated for fields Trees & a fine air & I Believe the House will accomadate a hundred Children,’ writes Wellstreet Matron Mrs Ann Wadham to Hospital Secretary Mr Thomas Collingwood, 6 July 1760.

Thomas Ellison of Westerham was one of the governors of the Foundling Hospital. He owned properties in Westerham including Spiers (now known as Quebec House) and Wellstreet, a house with farmland two miles up the road (now known as Chartwell). He offered the hospital a lease on Wellstreet and in July 1760, the branch opened. ​

For nine years, Wellstreet was home to some of the most vulnerable in society. 469 children passed through the doors of the Westerham branch of the Foundling Hospital. Mothers were guaranteed confidentiality, and the foundling children were given hospital-issued clothing as well as a new name and registration number.

Although few of their own words survive, records from Coram’s Foundling Hospital Archive help to draw a picture of the children’s lives with information about play, education, employment, health, and even death. The records also include tokens left with the children. These symbols of maternal love might include pieces of fabric or written notes. Anyone returning to claim a child would be asked to describe the token they left as proof of their identity.