The Golden Bridge – Child Migration from Scotland to Canada 1869-1939

Migration Stories Introduction

• Between 1869 and 1939 100,000 children were migrated to Canada from the United Kingdom
• 10,000 of these came from Scotland
• Quarrier’s homes migrated 7,000 children

Give us the power to make a Golden Bridge across the Atlantic. Words written in 1869 by Scotswoman Annie Macpherson. Earlier in that year she had opened a refuge in London for destitute children, many of whom were then taken to Canada to begin a new life.

In sixty years at the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th around 100,000 were sent to Canada. One of the keenest supporters of this movement was William Quarrier, the founder of the Orphan Homes of Scotland. Over 7,000 children were sent across the Atlantic from his 'children’s city' outside Bridge of Weir in the West of Scotland. They were sent to work as farm labourers and domestic servants; most of them were under 14 and some were as young as 5. This learning resource seeks to present just a little of their story. It is a story well known now in Canada where the home children have been described as 'little slaves' but it is a story that needs to be told again and again to remind us how easy it is to stigmatise a whole group of vulnerable people, especially children. At the same time the achievements of the 'new' Canadians should not be forgotten.

• 11% of today’s Canadian population are descended from home children

The Children’s Trunk

• The Trunk
  William Quarrier described the emigration of the children to Canada with the words There is no piece of philanthropic work that accomplishes so much good at so little cost. It cost about £15 to migrate a child whereas the annual cost of maintaining the same child on the Poor Law was about £12. He equipped each child with a wooden trunk. In it for the boys was a good outfit comprising three suits of clothing-one for winter wear, one for summer, and one for working in, in addition to the warm suit he travels in-four shirts, four pairs of socks, three pairs of boots, a fur cap, a Scotch cap, braces, handkerchiefs, collars, ties... In addition and most importantly were a Bible and a copy of 'Pilgrims Progress' in addition to writing materials, darning materials and a brush and comb. Girls were furnished out in the same way, and have a nicely trimmed dress and hat for Sabbath wear and a wincey dress and dark hat for winter, a liberal supply of underclothing both for summer and winter, three pairs of boots, four pairs of stockings, ties, gloves, collars, aprons and pinafores, and warm ulster, hood and cravat.
• The Bible
  William Quarrier was a devout Christian. His work in 'rescuing' children and subsequently migrating many of them to Canada was firmly based on the verse in the gospel of St.Matthew Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me referring to the idea that caring for others was caring for Jesus Christ. Each child was not only given a Bible but expected to read it.
• Pilgrim’s Progress
  Every Christian home in the 19th Century would have a copy of 'Pilgrim’s Progress' as well as a Bible. John Bunyan’s allegory tells of how Christian finally reaches the Celestial City after all sorts of encounters on his journey. These include the Slough of Despond, Doubting Castle and Vanity Fair. Quarrier ensured that every migrated child should have a copy of the book to inspire them.
• Writing Materials
  Much of the direct evidence that we have about the lives of Quarrier’s home children in Canada is drawn from letters published in the annual 'Narrative of Facts'. In general the letters are full of admiration for their new home and gratitude to the Orphan Homes of Scotland for sending them. Few are critical. Each departing child was supplied with adequate writing materials but how many used them we simply do not know.
• Shirts
  All of the children who were sent to Canada were expected to work. Although children over twelve were expected to receive a wage this was often denied. One former home child writing in later life described his life on a farm in Ontario: I knew nobody. I had no friends. I just worked from five in the morning until nine at night under the farmer’s strict glare.
• Smock
  Not all the girls sent from Quarriers to Canada came from Scotland. In the first twenty five years of child migration, 270 children were sent from the Douglas Industrial Home on the Isle of Man. One girl recalls that on their last night before leaving the island they all gathered to sing the hymn Shall we gather at the river? The following day they sailed for Greenock, Quarriers Homes and eventually Canada.
• Petticoat
  Girl home children mostly worked as domestic servants on the farms. Frequently they were despised by the other girls in the family where they had been placed. They would be called 'the hired girl' and this made many of them feel that they had done something degrading or wrong. If asked, as they most certainly were not, most girls preferred to be called the maid.
• Skirt
  Not all the girls sent to Canada worked as domestic servants. One girl who was sent to Ontario in 1911 later recalled: I had very little time to go to school. Many a time I cried with cold hands and broken nails, picking up turnips, of which we had many loads and which we had to put through a chopper. She also recalled however that the farmer’s wife was good to her and taught her how to bake bread.
• Shoes
  A home child who arrived in Ontario in 1910 recalled her delight in receiving rubber boots, socks and mitts, no doubt to supplement her shoes. She thanked the farmer for the gift and was astounded to receive the reply; Oh, you're paying for everything. Another home child writing some years later wrote: I don't think I spent 5 cents out of my wages, except for clothes. There was nowhere to go and no way for me to get there if there had been.
• Handkerchief
  A writer called Horsley wrote in 1887 that the departing children were little vermin who had crawled out of the gutter, the ooze and the slime. With such attitudes as those it must have been difficult to have taught the children sufficient hygiene in order to use handkerchiefs to blow their noses. Nevertheless the trunks of both boys and girls contained a liberal quantity of handkerchiefs.
• Sewing Kit
  All home children over the age of twelve were registered and the farmer or other employer was required to sign a form of indenture. In this it stated that if the child had to be returned to Quarriers, then the clothes must be sent back in good condition and the same number. It also stipulated that an accurate account to be kept by employer of the wages spent in child’s clothing.
• Thread and Bobbin
  In an age of man made fibres the necessary equipment for darning socks and woollen stockings has become almost redundant. The heel of the sock would be stretched over the bobbin, usually made out of wood. Then the hole would be darned using thread of an appropriate type to the sock or stocking. It was a skill which the children sent to Canada would need to acquire at an early age.
• Tin of Pins
  Among the warm dresses packed in the trunk for girls were 'Lindsey frocks.' Lindsey was a warm fabric made out of linen and wool and would be very welcome in the harshness of the Canadian winter. Many of the clothes sent with the children were made by the Women’s Guilds of the Churches and so a plentiful supply of pins for any new garments was essential.
• Ribbons
  Records at the Orphan Homes of Scotland describe two girls, aged five and twelve being placed in 1890. They are described as neglected and almost naked... and with sore eyes probably through cold and neglect. 18 months later they left Scotland for Canada. Here they were sent to farms in Quebec where they would be expected to go to Church and to be appropriately dressed in bonnets with ribbons.

The Journey

• The Orphan Homes of Scotland
  In September 1878, the first building of what was to become known as the Orphan Homes of Scotland was officially opened. In less than 20 years there were over 50 cottages, together with a Church, a dairy, a poultry farm, workshops and a school, all catering for some 900 children. Orphaned and destitute children came to the 'children’s city' from all over Scotland and beyond. Many of them were migrated to Canada, particularly from two of the cottages, Cessnock and Mitzpah.Cottages were run by a house mother and house father and many accommodated over thirty children. Boys and girls were separated and often siblings sent to Canada did not meet up again until later life, if at all. William Quarrier, despite being born into penury in Greenock, had made a large amount of money in the shoe trade. He started his work with children in Glasgow by setting up parcel and shoeblack brigades. As well as promoting the value of hard work, his Christian faith underpinned everything that he achieved. Although much changed in its functions, Quarriers Village remains in appearance today much as it was at the end of the 19th Century.
• The Port
  Nearly all of the children sent to Canada by William Quarrier travelled on a ship belonging to the Allen Line. The company was formed in 1852 by Alexander Allan and lasted until 1909 when it was taken over by the Canadian Pacific. The red, white and black funnels of the Allen Line were a familiar sight in the port of Glasgow. Some of the Quarriers children sailing to Canada would travel to Greenock and be ferried out to the liners by small boats. Whether they embarked at Glasgow or at Greenock the children would process to the docks well clothed for the long and cold journey across the Atlantic. They were seen off from the Orphan Homes by all the other children singing Don't forget the orphan Homes of Scotland.
• The Voyage
  One of the ships that took the children from Quarriers to Canada was the SS Manitoban. On one voyage which left Glasgow in April 1881 there was a party of 56 boys from the Orphan Homes, the youngest of whom was six. In addition to the boys, there were 70 other passengers embarking at Glasgow and a further 120 joined the ship at Galway. The crew numbered 62, the master being Angus MacNicol from Glasgow aged 38. The boys were under the care of William Quarrier’s daughter, Agnes and Miss Anna Bilbrough. In the list of occupations they are both listed as lady. The voyage lasted for twelve days and almost all of the boys were seasick. However they soon got over this and enjoyed the journey. On another voyage it was recorded that a typical meal consisted of Irish stew, rice dessert, coffee and bread and butter. Several of the boys apparently commented as they prepared for bed Man a' feel awfu' funny! Various games were played on deck such as tug of war and the boys often occupied themselves by watching for whales, one small boy asking apparently Could that whale swallow a man?
• Halifax and Onwards
  The majority of Quarrier’s children disembarked at Halifax, Nova Scotia. On the quayside today on Pier 21 there is a Museum commemorating the lives of all emigrants to Canada. In the Museum there is a plaque which reads In honour of the 100,00 British Children, aged 6 to 14, orphans and non-orphans, who between 1859 and 1948 were shipped to Canada, where most worked as domestic servants and farm labourers. The distinguished Professor of History who wrote the text for the plaque had wished to include the fact that the children were 'cheap farm labour' but was over-ruled by officialdom and feels that her message was 'neutered'. The children were taken from the port to the Receiving Homes in Ontario by train, a journey of nearly 1000 miles that took three days. In an account of the April trip in 1881 there is a description of the party enjoying seeing sleighs going through the snow and ice and giving the children an idea of what winter was like in Canada. The carriages, or cars, however were warm because of stoves burning but they were not very comfortable for sleeping. All the children were heartily glad to arrive at the Receiving Home.
• Receiving Homes and Onwards
  When children were first sent from the Orphan Homes of Scotland to Canada they went to the Receiving Home called 'Marchmont'. This had been established by Annie Macpherson in 1870 in the town of Belleville situated towards the eastern end of Lake Ontario. By 1887 the numbers of children sent by William Quarrier had increased tenfold and he decided to open his own receiving home. The town chosen was Brockville, a hundred miles east of Belleville and on the St.Lawrence overlooking the thousand islands. Quarrier travelled to Brockville himself and with the help of the Rev. E.J. Stobo, who had taken out the first party from the Orphan Homes in 1872, discovered the house called 'Fairknowe' which was purchased for £2000 together with 16 acres of land. It was a very well appointed and large house of three storeys with attics. The walls were two feet thick to withstand the winter and there were fireplaces in all the main rooms. His daughter Agnes Burgess and her husband, who had lived in Canada for some years took charge. The building, which still stands, was sold in 1934 and subdivided into apartments.
• The Last Word
  From Marchmont and Fairknowe the children spread out all over Canada. At first Quarrier tried to ensure that all children were placed within three hundred miles of the receiving homes. He also embarked on extensive tours trying to visit all the farms where his children were. Today it is estimated that about one in ten of Canadian families have a home child in their ancestry. The migration scheme has been debated ever since and several agencies exist now to help families trace their ancestors. Two of the most influential are Home Children Canada, which operates out of Renfrew, Ontario, and Quarriers Canadian Family which is based in Brockville, Ontario. One of the last of Quarriers children to be sent to Canada when he was 15 in 1929 wrote later: Canada was fortunate indeed to receive such future citizens; it was Scotland’s loss that they were sent away.

Testimony Tree

• Video Introduction

  Although migration of children to Canada had mostly stopped by the beginning of the 1930's, similar programmes were carried out in other countries of the former British Empire. A group of children was migrated to Australia from the UK as late as 1967. Concern and interest in these programmes in the late 1980’s led to an awakening of research into the effects of migration on Canadian home children. A few Canadian oral historians collected testimony from surviving home children, all of whom were by then elderly. Some similar work was carried out by British historians. These collected words of former home children frequently provide a vivid contrast to the reports which were carried by William Quarrier’s annual reports, Narrative of Facts. But despite the messages of cruelty and deprivation contained in some of these testimonies, more often than not a pride at being Canadian emerges strongly. The home children have contributed in making a nation of which the 1867 patriotic song The Maple Leaf for ever can declare:

  Here may it wave
  Our boast, our pride
  And joined in love together
  The thistle, shamrock, rose entwined,
  The maple leaf for ever.

• Home Children Testimonies
  • We were emigrants, so we felt we were a lower class
  • I thought that the Canadians had no children of their own and depended on us children
  • The rest of the ship was filled with big guns and shells
  • They did not want you to say anything
  • Why did they want me?
  • I put up a fuss and cried at being left alone with the ladies' husband
  • I said it was like coming out of hell into heaven
  • It must have been awful not to have someone to call your own
  • Mr. Turner sure sent me to a good place, when he sent me here!
  • Mrs. Owens was good to me and taught me how to bake bread
  • I was glad when my sister Jessie was moved closer to where I was
  • We were the kids that they picked up off the street
  • Because it was really cold I had to ride the horses' backs to keep me from freezing to death
  • You weren't supposed to have feelings
  • There was a kind of stigma attached to us
  • My granny always regretted having done away with me so to speak
  • Have I been that bad - to be sent away?
  • I never heard of anyone I belonged to
  • We had a very rough road since our mother died
  • He kicked me, punched me and broke a couple of ribs. I told Mr. Turner the Superintendent. "You're lying," he said, "they're good church people"
  • If you would just answer my letter and let me know the name of my mum and dad...
  • In the freezing winter I got no boots, so I stood in the steaming cowpats to warm my feet
  • In winter, if I wasn't in by 9 o'clock they would lock the doors and not let me in, and I'd go to sleep with the cows
  • I was brought out and they hit me hard
  • The farmer drank all the time and sometimes beat me
  • My mother was worried about me and came out to Canada
  • I made a dive out of the backdoor and hid in the turkey hut
  • I was sorry when I heard of Mr. Quarrier’s death
  • God has been good to me and I thank him for his goodness
  • We were orphans, we were hired men on the farm
  • I got very little time to go to school
  • At 17 I got 30 cents for the year, then they charged me 15 for a haircut. His wife cut it!
  • The men were not very nice so I decided to leave
  • My goodness, it’s awful quiet in this country!
  • I cried with cold hands and broken nails
  • I was one of the lucky ones
  • I have had my ups and downs
  • Mrs. Robson has been a good kind mother to me, and I am sure I have just as great a love for her
  • I was in the homes about two years I guess, and came out here very small
  • I got beaten up so bad for every little thing I did
  • This was a lovely home where we lived a normal life
  • I wish I had pictures of the homes