----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Shaw" <richard.shaw@aqualisa.co.uk> To: <ENG-DUR-SUNDERLAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 10:29 PM Subject: [genealogy] [SUNDERLAND] Sunderland Moor Orphan Asylum > > > > > On the 1881 census David Burns aged 12 is listed at the address Sunderland > Moor. The head is listed as John Wright master of orphan asylum, David's > relationship to him is as an inmate with occupation scholar. This leads me > to believe that he was an orphan, however his widowed mother, Elizabeth > Duncan Burns is still alive and living a few streets away at 7 Hedworth > Street with three of his older sisters and his Grandfather. Also the other > 26 "inmates" are all male aged between 9 and 13, I feel that it is unlikely > that all the orphans in Sunderland fell into such a tight group, so I think > that it may be the orphanage was a school for boys. Does anyone have any > information relating to this institution that may help me understand what > was happening? > > Richard > Richard, you could scarcely do better than look at Stan Mapstone's post http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/ENG-DUR-SUNDERLAND/2004-12/1104174258 My grandfather-in-law also attended the orphanage, and i was also suprised to find that his mother was still alive at the time. But great-grandfather-in-law had died, and presumably great-grandmother-in-law decided that one less mouth to feed, plus the valuable training for a lifetime career at sea that young George William would get at the orphanage meant that he had to go. (A good decision, as it turned out - he became a senior Captain with Brocklebanks). Tim S. (Please remove my fairly obvious spam trap if you wish to reply by direct email)

My thanks to Dan and Tim for their information (and Stan for his earlier input). I found this most interesting and if anyone can point me in the direction of further reading on the orphanage I would be most grateful. Richard