Victorian London - Childhood - Childrens' Homes - Royal Caledonian Asylum

CALEDONIAN ASYLUM (THE); COPENHAGEN FIELDS, ISLINGTON. Established 1815, "for the relief of the children of soldiers,sailors and mariners, natives of Scotland, who have died or been disabled in the service of their country; and the children of indigent Scotch parents residing in London, not entitled to parochaial relief." Age of admission, between seven and ten years; periods of admission, the first Thursdays in June and December. An annual subscription of 1 guinea, or a donation of 10 guineas, entitles the subscriber to one vote; a donation of 100 guineas entitles the subscriber to place a child in the Asylum.

Peter Cunningham, Hand-Book of London, 1850

ROYAL CALEDONIAN ASYLUM, Caledonian Road, established in 1813; maintains and educates about 70 boys and 40 girls; the children of Scotch soldiers, marines, and sea. men, who have died or been disabled in the Queen's service, receiving the preference of election.

Cruchley's London in 1865 : A Handbook for Strangers, 1865 

    There are several of these Homes in London. Some of them reach down to rescue the very poor; others are devoted to children of another class; but all step in to save the little ones who, for want of parents or friends able to look after them, would quickly sink to the level of the lowest.
    One of these Homes, the Royal Caledonian Asylum, is devoted to little Scotch boys and girls, some of whom are the children of soldiers or sailors who have died or been badly hurt in serving their country; and some, children of poor Scotch people. The little fellows look very pretty in their jackets of dark green cloth, with their kilts of Royal Stuart tartan; so also do the girls in their Royal Stuart tartan dress, with scarfs and white collars. This Home was opened in 1813, in Islington, with twelve boys as inmates. The number was soon increased, because so many children of Scotch soldiers were fatherless: for in 1815 and previous years our soldiers, led by the great Duke of Welling­ton, had been fighting in long and fearful wars, and the Scottish regiments had suffered heavily. The numbers have gone on increasing, until now there are ninety-five boys and sixty-one girls in this Asylum.

Uncle Jonathan, Walks in and Around London, 1895 (3 ed.)