An Earnest Appeal for Mercy to the Children of the Poor: Particularly Those Belonging to the Parishes within the Bills of Mortality

Jonas Hanway

doi:10.1017/CBO9781139794879

In eighteenth-century London, abandoned children were one of the social groups most affected by the harsh living conditions. Several charitable initiatives had endeavoured to alleviate the problem, not least the Foundling Hospital, of which Jonas Hanway (c.1712–86) was a governor. His tireless philanthropy and campaigning resulted in the 1762 Registers Bill, which required parishes to keep records of the poor children they looked after. In this tract, first published in 1766, Hanway uses information collected from these registers to demonstrate the appalling mortality rates of orphans in care in London, calling for radical reform. This work was instrumental in the passage of the 1767 act that resulted in a dramatic fall in the number of infant deaths over the following decade. It is a powerful exposé of the failures of the capital's care system, as well as a testament to the influence of philanthropic activism.

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Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-vi
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Dedication
pp vii-x
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Contents
pp xi-xii
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SECT. I - Observations on the State of the Infant Parish Poor
pp 1-9
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SECT. II - Heads of the Act for the keeping regular, uniform, and annual Registers of all Parish Poor Infants under a certain Age, within the Bills of Mortality
pp 10-15
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SECT. III - Remarks on the Act
pp 16-21
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SECT. IV - Observations on the Register, and Abstract of the Register of the Infant Poor, with some comparative Views of the Foundling Hospital
pp 22-26
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SECT. V - Particular Investigation of the Registers, and Abstract of Registers of the Infant Poor in 1764 and 1765
pp 27-39
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SECT. VI - Remarks on the Registers of particular Parishes
pp 40-63
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SECT. VII - Further Reasons for a Parliamentary Enquiry into the State of the Infant Poor within the Bills of Mortality
pp 64-75
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SECT. VIII - Proposal for sending all Children under four Years old to the F. H. to be nursed and educated, belonging to such Parishes as appear unable or unwilling to preserve them: the same to be upon terms to be agreed
pp 76-86
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SECT. IX - Some Observations on the Employment, Clothing, Expence, Diet, Cleanliness, &c. necessary to the Welfare of the Poor, particularly young Persons
pp 87-95
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SECT. X - The Advantage of placing out children, being for laborious Employments, as early as possible
pp 96-100
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SECT. XI - The Benefit and Advantage of giving Apprentice Fees with poor Children
pp 101-106
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SECT. XII - The Absurdity and Danger of placing out Children to the Age of 24, a Part of the Statute of 43d of Eliz. appearing necessary to be reformed
pp 107-110
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SECT. XIII - The Necessity of a religious Education as the Foundation of free Subjection to human and divine Laws; and a Proposal for the Promotion of it by the most simple and practicable Means
pp 111-120
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SECT. XIV - The Importance of cultivating a true Sense of Religion, and particularly the Duty of Prayer
pp 121-130
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SECT. XV - Further Reasons for giving a pecuniary Gratuity, after a certain time, to those who do their Duty to poor Children, as Apprentices, on the Plan proposed
pp 131-134
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SECT. XVI - A List of the Parishes whose Numbers of Children are worthy of Notice; and a curious Anecdote relating to a Parish Nurse: the Conclusion, inviting to the Exercise of Humanity to the Children of the Poor under the Care of Parishes
pp 135-141
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An Earnest Appeal for Mercy to the Children of the Poor

Particularly Those Belonging to the Parishes within the Bills of Mortality

Book description

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Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-vi

Dedication
pp vii-x

Contents
pp xi-xii

SECT. I - Observations on the State of the Infant Parish Poor
pp 1-9

SECT. II - Heads of the Act for the keeping regular, uniform, and annual Registers of all Parish Poor Infants under a certain Age, within the Bills of Mortality
pp 10-15

SECT. III - Remarks on the Act
pp 16-21

SECT. IV - Observations on the Register, and Abstract of the Register of the Infant Poor, with some comparative Views of the Foundling Hospital
pp 22-26

SECT. V - Particular Investigation of the Registers, and Abstract of Registers of the Infant Poor in 1764 and 1765
pp 27-39

SECT. VI - Remarks on the Registers of particular Parishes
pp 40-63

SECT. VII - Further Reasons for a Parliamentary Enquiry into the State of the Infant Poor within the Bills of Mortality
pp 64-75

SECT. VIII - Proposal for sending all Children under four Years old to the F. H. to be nursed and educated, belonging to such Parishes as appear unable or unwilling to preserve them: the same to be upon terms to be agreed
pp 76-86

SECT. IX - Some Observations on the Employment, Clothing, Expence, Diet, Cleanliness, &c. necessary to the Welfare of the Poor, particularly young Persons
pp 87-95

SECT. X - The Advantage of placing out children, being for laborious Employments, as early as possible
pp 96-100

SECT. XI - The Benefit and Advantage of giving Apprentice Fees with poor Children
pp 101-106

SECT. XII - The Absurdity and Danger of placing out Children to the Age of 24, a Part of the Statute of 43d of Eliz. appearing necessary to be reformed
pp 107-110

SECT. XIII - The Necessity of a religious Education as the Foundation of free Subjection to human and divine Laws; and a Proposal for the Promotion of it by the most simple and practicable Means
pp 111-120

SECT. XIV - The Importance of cultivating a true Sense of Religion, and particularly the Duty of Prayer
pp 121-130

SECT. XV - Further Reasons for giving a pecuniary Gratuity, after a certain time, to those who do their Duty to poor Children, as Apprentices, on the Plan proposed
pp 131-134

SECT. XVI - A List of the Parishes whose Numbers of Children are worthy of Notice; and a curious Anecdote relating to a Parish Nurse: the Conclusion, inviting to the Exercise of Humanity to the Children of the Poor under the Care of Parishes
pp 135-141

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An Earnest Appeal for Mercy to the Children of the Poor

Particularly Those Belonging to the Parishes within the Bills of Mortality

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