‘Give my love’: community and companionship among former ragged school scholars

Abstract

By 1884, forty years after its establishment, the London Ragged School Union estimated that 400,000 children had attended its schools. This article explores how former scholars perceived and engaged with their old ragged school community. Existing scholarship on the movement draws predominantly on its promotional literature or institutional documents, yielding limited access to the testimonies of the children themselves. As such, understanding of the children's experiences and perspectives remains partial. Drawing on a collection of 227 letters from 57 former scholars of Compton Place Ragged School, this article offers new insights into the role that the school, its teachers, and its pupils could continue to play. The correspondence analysed here demonstrates the critical assistance teachers offered to those overseas by relaying messages and locating loved ones. Ragged school teachers acted as an important link to Britain, a source of stability during times of uncertainty. In the same way, correspondents connected their teachers and institutions to their peers by offering information as to their whereabouts and wellbeing. As such, the letters reveal the existence of ragged school networks in emigrant communities; friendships forged in the classroom continued and developed overseas.

A critical review of the antecedents of enabling communities

“…This central aspect of enabling communities, promoted by much Christian philanthropy in the 19th century, is neglected in the "coldly functional approach" of Foucauldian academics, who emphasise the concurrent imposition of social conformity (Pollock, 2011, p. 153). This companionship is emphasised by the scores of letters from graduates to their erstwhile mentors expressing their affection and gratitude (Mair, 2018). These women, sustained by their beliefs, understood that people fundamentally want to support and care for each other, in spite of appearances and behaviour.…”

“…These neglected children were told about “God who loved them” (Mair, 2018, p. 166). A benefit for women of becoming actively involved with religion was the sense of comradeship and mutual support that participants gained.…”