Introduction
Between 1869 and 1939 over 100,000 children were migrated from the United Kingdom to Canada by British philanthropic organisations. Although they were described — in the parlance of the Victorian era — as ‘orphans, waifs and strays’, in fact around two-thirds had at least one surviving parent and most were from families experiencing extreme poverty. Once they arrived in Canada the younger children were adopted, the older children committed as indentured labourers.
The Scottish philanthropist William Quarrier (1829–1903), through his Orphan Homes of Scotland, was involved in the migration of 7,000 of these ‘Home Children’.
This is their story.
The Golden Bridge
The Exhibition
The original Golden Bridge exhibition, as hosted by the Heatherbank Museum of Social work in 2001.
Historic Photo Album
A unique collection of original images from the archive of the Orphan Homes of Scotland.
Migration Stories
Documenting the experiences of children migrated from the Orphan Homes of Scotland to Canada.
Narratives of Facts
A collection of annual reports from the Orphan Homes of Scotland, dating from 1872 to 1910.
About this site
The Golden Bridge is a product from Iriss in collaboration with Quarriers and Glasgow Caledonian University. See credits and acknowledgements for more information and copyright details.