The Ospizio, House of industry and foundlings

The thought of an abandoned child brings to mind scenes of Victorian England where children lived rough on the streets becoming victims of abuse. Charles Dickens epitomiSes best the predicament of these children in his classic books, especially in the one titled, ‘Oliver Twist.’ Malta also had many children born out of wedlock and also legitimate ones who were seen as an economic burden to maintain and hence left to their destiny, in most cases in churches, for the government to take care of. Some did not live to tell the tale as they died a few days after being taken in. This is the first part of a two-part feature, which examines some of the sombre aspects of the life of these abandoned children

By means of an Extract of a Despatch dated 29 May 1837 from Lord Glenelg, Her Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for the Colonial Departments addressed to the Govenor H. Bouverie, it was recommended that, as far as the circumstances of the case would allow, there would be the application in Malta of those principles in the distribution of public alms, which had been established in England under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834.

With that view, it was proposed that the buildings of the Ospizio be used for the aged and as a House of Industry should be placed under the control of the new Board and used for the reception of the destitute and that the Board, with the concurrence of the local government, would make all the necessary regulations for the admission, classification, feeding and clothing of destitute persons and for the maintenance of proper discipline in the house.

The House of Industry

The building, erected by Grandmaster Antonio Manoel de Vilhena, was originally intended as a conservatory for poor girls, where they were taught to do a little work and in other respects to perform all the offices of nuns.

The object of the institution was to educate and train to habits of industry, female children who at a tender age had lost both their parents and who had been deserted by their relations and friends. The number in the House was not to exceed 250.

Foundlings

According to Wikipedia, a House of Industry was a charitable institution established in the 18th and 19th centuries in various cities in the British Empire under the Poor Law to offer relief to the destitute. Originally, these institutions took the form of workhouses which would forcibly lodge the poor and put them to work. Later, they would offer temporary and permanent lodging, food, fuel and other assistance to the poor.

During the 19th century, the birth rate for the Maltese Islands was high. The reasons for high birth rates applicable to a Maltese traditional society were based mainly on agriculture and the need for children to help in tilling the land. Another reason was religious, in that the Roman Catholic Church preached that sex is for procreation. Moreover, no natural or artifical contrception methods were available.

Many children known as “foundlings” were born out of marriage or else they were legitimate children abandoned as the family could not support the child because they were poor. In such families children were seen as an economic burden.

There were cases where illegitimate children were kept by the father out of reasons of conscience. Some children were delivered to their mother after having been abandoned. This was the case of the mother of the child, Paola Ellul, whose child was delivered by Giuseppa Borg, a nurse at the Central Hosptial in 1871.

Most births took place at home. Usually the mother of the mother-to-be acted as midwife (majjistra in Maltese). There were also special midwives, licensed by the Bisop, who were summoned to help if complications arose.

In Gozo, there was St Julian Hospital for females, founded in 1454 within the Cittadella, and which was run by the Church. It had a maternity wing and foundling facilities and could accommodate 50 patients.

Under Chapter II of the Criminal Laws of Malta (1871) it was a contravention for, “whosoever, finding in the streets a deserted or strayed child, shall not convey the same or immediately report the circumstance to the Executive Police”.

Foundlings in churches and other places

Most foundlings were found abandoned on the entrance and even outside churches, especially in Valletta where St Pauls’s Church, St Dominic’s Church, the Jesuits Church amd St Publius Church in Floriana were favourite spots in many cases.

In the Three Cities, Annunziata Church (Annunciation Church), Vittoriosa and Porto Salvo Church in Senglea were other places where children were abandoned. In cases of abandoned children from villages outside Valletta and the Three Cities, children were almost always brought in by an individual.

The child would be brought in by the Police in the Foundlings Hospital or by some kind soul who made the discovery of the abandoned child. Where possible, the child was baptised in the church where found. One illustration of this was a boy found and taken by the Police into the church where he was baptised. The child had been found wrapped up in two pieces of cotton cloth.

On 30 September 1860, a ninemonth-old baby, Silvestra Camilleri, was born in the Central Hospital and brought in at the Foundlings Hospital as an illegitimate child by Catarina

Grech, a midwife in the Central Hospital

Some abandoned children were the fruit of prostitution. All children, whether born of a prostitute or not, were always checked on admission to see the state of health of the baby. One case was of a child born on 14 October 1871, whose father’s name was William and had passed away and the mother’s name was Angela, a prostitute.

Some of the abandoned children, unfortunately died at the nursery of the House of Industry as was the case of five such children who passed away on 5 October 1847, 4 December 1847, 10 December 1847, 28 December 1847 and 26 December 1847. It is noted that the mortality rate among children was high. Another death was recorded at the Civil Hospital in 1847 where the child died on 22 November 1847.

There were also cases where children were abandoned in the streets. One such case took place on 22 September 1840 where the child was found in a street in Senglea and taken in by the Police to the House of Foundlings. Another case was that of a child left in the door of the house of Maria Busuttil at Vittoriosa at 3am on 22 September 1840 and brought in by the Police.

One case was that of twins, Agnes Maud and Letitia Serah Smith, in 1860. They were orphans and their father, a Sergeant in the Royal Artillery, was absent from the Island. They were admitted into the Foudlings Hospital on 21 March 1860 as paying inmates at 6 pence per day.

Part 2 of this feature will be published next week