Aberlour, Scotland’s Children’s Charity
Collection reference: GB 0559 ACCT
Administrative History:
In 1875 Canon Charles Jupp, a clergyman in the Scottish Episcopalian Church, founded an orphanage in the village of Aberlour. By 1885 the orphanage could accommodate up to 100 children, originally from Episcopalian families but subsequently from across all religious denominations. Whilst at the Orphanage, children were given an education and training for future employment with girls generally going into domestic service, and boys going into apprenticeships or farm work. Those who showed strong academic skills were put forward for further education.
The Orphanage closed in 1967 and was replaced with a series small ‘family group’ homes located across Scotland. The original home was demolished. Today all that remains of the original buildings is the clock tower and the church. Aberlour Child Care Trust has grown to be the largest solely Scottish children’s charity, providing support and resources for vulnerable children, young people, and their families. (A detailed administrative history of Aberlour is provided in the online catalogue.)
Contents:
The Aberlour Archive consists of records relating to Aberlour Orphanage (1875-1967), and material concerning the establishment and operation of family group homes following the closure of the orphanage. (Read more)
Catalogue information:
The collection is fully catalogued with full details available on our online archive catalogue.
The cataloguing of the collection was made possible through the ‘Archives Revealed‘ funding scheme, which was jointly awarded by The National Archives, The Pilgrim Trust, and The Wolfson Foundation in 2021. This funding scheme is for archive services to make significant collections accessible that otherwise would be difficult to catalogue using existing resources.
The catalogue provides access to digitised copies of a range of publications produced by Aberlour including a selection of issues of the Aberlour Orphanage Magazine.
Custodial history:
The collection was transferred to the University of Stirling from Aberlour in June 2021.
Access conditions:
Records containing personal information relating to the care of children are closed. If you have personal experience of being looked after by Aberlour and wish to access personal case records please contact Aberlour directly. For further information on access restrictions and use of the collection please contact the University Archives.
Related collections:
The University Archives also holds the personal collection of Ron Aitchison, a resident of the Aberlour Orphanage from 1950-1965. The collection contains material relating to the history of Aberlour Orphanage collected by Ron and information relating to his time in care. The transfer of the collection to the university was celebrated at an event in August 2022.
Contents (further details):
The Aberlour Archive is arranged into eight sections and contains the following material:
- Children’s Records (ACCT/1): includes Admission and discharge registers for Aberlour Orphanage, the Orphanage School, and for four of the group homes; case files of residents; unsuccessful applications; medical records; children’s financial records‘ correspondence; and confirmation cards.
- Administrative Records (ACCT/2): includes minute books of the Aberlour Orphanage and Trust, the Orphanage School, and the Board of Governors; daily diaries and logbooks of the Orphanage Surgery and Infirmary, Farm and Dairy, and Aberlour Trust Group Homes; and annual reports.
- Financial Records (ACCT/3): include ledgers; accounts for payment and confirmation; maintenance registers; cash books; staff wages; financial records of the Aberlour Trust Group Homes; auditor‘s reports and accounts; clothing and linen stock register; produce supplied from Aberlour Orphanage gardens; food orders; expenditure; and rent rolls.
- Legal Records (ACCT/4): includes title deeds, statutory instruments; correspondence; death certificates; and copies of birth, death, and marriage certificates held at St Margaret‘s Church.
- Property Records (ACCT/5): includes booklets and plans.
- Fundraising Records (ACCT/6): includes appeal booklets and promotional material; financial records; subscribers lists.
- Publications (ACCT/7): includes the Aberlour Orphanage Magazine.
- Photographs (ACCT/8)
- Miscellaneous material (ACCT/9): includes memorabilia, Bibles and prayer books.
Content warning:
This collection contains references and language relating to disabilities and mental health, reflecting attitudes of the period in which it was created. Such views are no longer acceptable and will be upsetting to some researchers. They do not align with the University of Stirling, nor of Aberlour Childrens Charity. The collection also contains references to abuse towards children having taken place. Content warnings have been put in place in the catalogue to notify users of language and terms within the records which will cause offense and that can be upsetting to read. We are aware that some references may have been missed during the cataloguing of the collection. Please make staff of the University Archives aware of any material consulted containing offensive references not previously disclosed.
