The Historical Timeline Of The Middlemore Homes
| Progress of the Homes | Reports & Legislation |
|---|---|
| 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act setting up workhouses | |
| 1850 Emigration of Children Act permitted assisted emigration of workhouse children | |
| 1869 Maria Rye’s first party to Canada including some workhouse children | 1869 Canada Immigration Act required medical examination of all poor immigrants |
| 1870 Annie McPherson’s first party of workhouse children to Canada | |
| 1872 John Middlemore established The Emigration Homes for Gutter Children | |
| May 1873 first Middlemore party of 29 children to Ontario, Canada | |
| 1875 Opening of Guthrie Home in London, Ontario as reception centre | 1875 Doyle Report. Workhouse emigration stopped |
| 1878 newly built Homes opened in St Luke’s Rd | 1883 Memorandum resulted in resumption of emigration by workhouse children |
| 1885 Move to the Maritimes. Children settled in province of new Brunswick | increasing influence of eugenics theories |
| 1888 Canadian debates in parliament resulting in cancellation of assisted passage policy for juvenile immigrants | |
| 1889 a medical certificate now needed for each child immigrant | |
| 1890 Closure of Guthrie Home | 1890s increased discussion of Eugenics in Nova Scotia |
| 1892 Last Middlemore party to Ontario | |
| 1893 All children from now on emigrated to the Maritime provinces, initially received in temporary accommodation in Halifax and at Hillfoot Farm | |
| 1895 Hillfoot Farm burnt down | |
| 1897 Fairview Receiving Home opens in Halifax | |
| 1917 -19 No shipments of children because of WW1 (Around 63 Ex Middlemore boys died in WW1) | |
| Dec 1917 Halifax Explosion. Fairview Home damaged | |
| 1920 First post war Middlemore party. Arrived in Quebec and distributed by train | |
| 1922 British Empire Settlement Act encouraging 8 to 16 year olds emigration to the colonies | |
| 1924 Death of John Middlemore | 1924 The Bondfield Report |
| 1925 British and Canadian laws forbid unaccompanied emigration of under 14’s | |
| 1926 First Middlemore party to Australia in association with Fairbridge | |
| 1926 to 1932 small numbers of children taken to the Maritimes, chiefly to New Brunswick | |
| 1927 McGregor Report | |
| 1928 Opening of Pier 21 in Halifax | |
| 1929 Opening of new Homes at Selly Oak | |
| 1930 Last party of Middlemore girls sent directly and indentured | |
| 1931 Paul Cadbury becomes Chair of Homes Committee | |
| 1932 Last party of Middlemore boys sent to be indentured | 1932 Canada suspended assisted immigration |
| 1935 First Middlemore party to Fairbridge Farm School in British Columbia | |
| 1935 Middlemore agreement with Fairbridge to recruit from “Special Areas” in northern England, S Wales and Scotland | |
| 1941 Closure of Fairview | |
| 1948 last Middlemore emigrant to Canada | 1948 Children Act in Britain, Local authorities now responsible for children needing protection. |
| 1949 Closure of the Fairbridge Farm School in Canada End of association with Fairbridge | Australia ceased accepting immigrant children |
| 1955 Selly Oak buildings sold. Became Westhill College | |
| 1975 Guthrie House burnt down as Fire training exercise |