The Foundling Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Foundling) was a

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

for abandoned children in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

which was established as part of the

South Dublin Union A House of Industry was a workhouse in Dublin, Ireland which existed from its establishment by an act of parliament in 1703, "for the employment and maintaining the poor thereof." From 1729 the House of Industry also incorporated the foundlin ...

History

The Foundling hospital of Dublin was opened in 1704. Firmly established by mid-18th century, the Foundling Hospital had steadily become a large "baby farming" institution. Two primary objectives of the hospital were to avoid deaths and murders of illegitimate children and to teach the Protestant faith to these children. No inquiry was made about the parents, and no money received. A

cradle Cradle may refer to: * Cradle (bed) * Bassinet, a small bed, often on rockers, in which babies and small children sleep Mechanical devices * Cradle (circus act), or aerial cradle or casting cradle used in an aerial circus act * Cradling (paintin ...

was installed by 1730. Between 1,500 and 2,000 children were received annually. A large income was derived from a duty on coal. In 1822 an admission fee of £5 was charged on the parish from which the child came. This reduced the annual arrivals to about 500. Child deaths during transport to the hospital or whilst staying in the hospital were not infrequent and would often become the subject of an inquiry. The number of Protestant nurses was usually inadequate with the resulting use of Roman Catholic nurses and occasional consequence of "religious error". Between 1790 and 1796 some 5,216 infants were sent there, of whom 5,215 died. Between 1796 and 1826 51,150 infants were admitted to the hospital, of whom 41,524 died. In 1829 the select committee on the Irish miscellaneous estimates recommended that no further assistance should be given. Only during the tenure of Lady

Arabella Denny Lady Arabella Fitzmaurice Denny (1707–1792) was an Irish philanthropist, and founder of the Magdalen Asylum for Protestant Girls in Leeson Street, Dublin in 1765. Early life and family Arabella Fitzmaurice was born in County Kerry, the second ...

and later the other “Ladies Governesses” did the death rate and horrific conditions of the foundling hospital improve. However during its existence the hospital had not preserved life or educated the foundlings. The mortality was nearly 4 in 5, and the total cost climbing to almost £40,000 a year. Accordingly, in 1835 Lord Glenelg (then Irish Secretary) closed the institution.

New National Children's Hospital

A new children's hospital has been proposed to move the

National Children's Hospital The National Children's Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Náisiúnta na Leanaí) was a children's teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland. It was absorbed into the Tallaght Hospital in June 1998. History The hospital was founded by Sir Philip Crampton, S ...

from Tallaght University Hospital on to the campus of

St. James's Hospital St. James's Hospital ''Confirms spelling of name as "James's" and Irish name'' ( ga, Ospidéal Naomh Séamas) is a teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland. Its academic partner is Trinity College Dublin. It is managed by Dublin Midlands Hospital G ...

. Former senator, John Gilroy, said that given the presence of the foundling hospital on the site and the very high death rate, there was a possibility that children might have been buried there. However extensive investigation including the environmental impact study and the site excavation works found no evidence of any graves on the site.

References

{{Reflist 1704 establishments in Ireland Hospitals established in 1704 Hospitals in Dublin (city) Foundling Hospital Defunct hospitals in the Republic of Ireland Demolished buildings and structures in Dublin

History

New National Children's Hospital

See also

References