User:Ray3055/London shoe black brigade

From 1851 the London Shoe-Black Brigade, established by John MacGregor and Lord Shaftesbury, offered regular, better-paid, employment for children who made their living cleaning boots and shoes. In the evenings these children could attend lessons at the Ragged Schools. Members of the London Shoe-Black societies wore a uniform with a coloured jacket indicating the area in which they worked.

Formation March 1851

Three Ragged School teachers R. J. Snape, John mcgonagall (who has since become known as ‘Rob Roy‘), and J. R. Howler were walking together, when one of them, who had seen the shoeblacks of Paris, said, ‘Why not turn some of the boys into the streets as shoeblacks’?’ This was a good thought, and many were willing to help. Soon the lads, whom these good men wanted to rescue from a life of sin and crime, were gathered together into a room, where they were taught to polish boots; and on the last day of March, 1851, five boys, in their bright red jerseys, were sent out for the first time into the streets of London as shoeblacks.

The charge to clean and polish shoes was a penny, at first they were taunted by idle boys, who threw flour into their blacking-boxes, and called them nick­names.

Earnings 1869

in 1869 the London Shoe-black Societies employed an average of 377 boys, who during the year earned £8,830. During the year ending 25 March 1869:

• 50 scholars were placed in the Central Shoe-black Brigade (red uniform), of whom 7 were without father or mother, 12 fatherless, and 11 motherless;
• 10 in the Marylebone or North-west London Shoe-black Brigade (red-and-black uniform);
• 6 in the Islington or North-London Shoe-black Brigade (brown uniform);
• 11 in the City of London Sewers Street-Cleaning Brigade.

Seventy-seven poor destitute boys were thus rescued from their street life, with its evil associations and temptations, and placed in positions of honest usefulness. They were holders of horses, crossing-sweepers, hawkers of cigar-lights, etc. Several being parentless, homeless outcasts, were admitted into the refuges attached to the brigades, and still reside in them, doing well. The greatest portion of these boys lodged in some of the poorest and most crowded parts of St. Giles's parish, viz. Lincoln-court, Orange- court, Princes-court, Wild-court, Wild-passage, all in Great Wild-street. Also in King-street, Charles-street, Parker-street, the Coal-yard, Short's-gardens, etc, in Drury-lane; and Church-lane, George-street, Dudley-street, Nottingham-court, the Five and the Seven Dials, and other places. From one school alone as many as 167 of the before-mentioned class of boys have been placed in the Central Shoe-black Brigade (red) within the past few years. But the employment found for lads in this brigade is not final, nor is it the only situation open to those who are steady and of good character. Situations are frequently offered to such boys, and employment of a superior ...

Shaftesbury Society and Ragged School Union 1844

140 Schools and Mission Stations in all parts of London and District. Office, 32, St. John St., Theobald's Rd., W.C. To promote the physical and moral well-being of destitute, neglected crippled children and adults - to aid in feeding and clothing the necessitous - to foster the establishment of Holiday Homes. £30,278 - About 100,000

Shaftesbury Shoeblack Brigade

The Shoeblack Societies are, to a great extent, self-supporting. The receipts stated are the earnings of the boys) is the combination of the four Shoe Black Societies formed at dates named. No residential homes.

• Central, 1851.
• East London, 1851.
• South London, 1854.
• North London, 1857.
• 146B, King's Cross Road, N. Employment of necessitous or crippled lads and men. Included in General Funds of the Shaftesbury Society and R.S.U.

Locations

Union Jack Shoe Black brigade and home

SHOEBLACK SOCIETIES' HOMES (1879)

• CENTRAL, Saffron-hill, E.C.
• EAST LONDON, 96 Mansel Street, Whitechapel.
• ISLINGTON AND NORTH LONDON, 15 York Road, Kings Cross.
• NORTH-WEST LONDON, 241 Marylebone Road.
• NOTTING HILL, Prince's Road.
• SOUTH LONDON, 223 High street, Southwark.
• TOWER HAMLETS, 23 Stepney Green.
• UNION JACK SHOE BRIGADE, Stepney-causeway.
• WEST LONDON, Bessborough Place, Pimlico.

• EAST LONDON SHOE BLACK SOCIETY'S SCHOOL, 4 MANSELL STREET, WHITECHAPEL, LONDON

Certified 1st July 1859 when at 4 Mansell Street, removed to 43 Leman Street, London and re-certified 28th March 1873. May have been re-certified after 1873.

Union Jack Rag Brigade, Mitre House, three colt lane, limehouse

Earnings

from Daily Telegraph 12 Dec 1881

Philanthropists

Burdett-Coutts

Independent Shoe-blacks

• Licensed/unlicensed
• license - favoured cripples, old men? - cost 5 shillings a year

References

• Quarriers - history
• London Metropolitan Archives

MACGREGOR, JOHN Catalogue Ref. F/MM Creator(s): Macgregor, John, fl 1855-1887 Correspondence - ref. F/MM FILE - "The Globe" newspaper, cutting; letter relating to ragged-school shoeblack societies. - ref. F/MM/114 - date: 1883 FILE - MacGregor House (Working Boys' Home), 9 Wine Office Court, Fleet St., in connection with the Ragged School Shoeblack Society (Central), first annual report. - ref. F/MM/117 - date: 1886 Macgregor House: Certified 1915. Cessation of certification or closure July 1920 and transferred to Tulse Hill, London. MACGREGOR HOUSE, 121 TULSE HILL, LONDON. Replaced Fleet Street Macgregor House. Certified July 1920 and closed the same year

External links

• Victorian London.org

• New York Times 1854 article