In 1730

Thomas Coram Sea captain, Captain Thomas Coram ( – 29 March 1751) was an English sea captain and philanthropist who created the London Foundling Hospital in Lamb's Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, to look after abandoned children on the streets of London. It is ...

approached aristocratic women with a petition to support the establishment of a

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...

, which he would present to King George II. The women who signed were of aristocratic backgrounds, and Coram kept a list in his pocket memorandum book, captioned 'An Exact Account when each Lady of Charity Signed their Declaration'. In several cases, he had already approached the women's husbands several years earlier, and been turned away. Their involvement is widely regarded as the gateway to wider support of his philanthropic cause. In an essay in the catalogue of an exhibition celebrating women's roles in the Foundling Hospital, Elizabeth Einberg states that:

"Coram could see that securing the approval of a group of right-thinking women, of wives and dowagers at the pinnacle of society would highlight the Christian, virtuous and humanitarian aspects of such an endeavour and make it socially acceptable. In the events, it became not only that, but one of the most fashionable charities of the day."

These female signatories are listed here in chronological order of date of their signature: In 2018 the

Foundling Museum The Foundling Museum in Brunswick Square, London, tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, Britain's first home for children at risk of abandonment. The museum houses the nationally important Foundling Hospital Collection as well as the Geral ...

held an exhibition to raise awareness of the role of women in founding and running the Foundling Hospital, called ''"Ladies of Quality and Distinction"''.{{cite news , last1=Sanderson , first1=David , title=Race to honour first ladies of charity , url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/race-to-honour-first-ladies-of-charity-3qt2vw7ft , access-date=25 November 2018 , work=The Sunday Times , publisher=Times Newspapers Limited , date=19 February 2018 , location=London, England By their actions, these women succeeded.

References

Philanthropic organizations English women philanthropists Foundling Hospital History of women in the United Kingdom