Founding of the Foundling Hospital
- When
- 1741
- Where
- Hatton Garden
- Episodes
- 1
The Foundling Hospital was established in London in 1739 by Thomas Coram to care for exposed and deserted children. A royal charter signed by King George II formalized the institution, which admitted its first children in 1741.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. The institution, formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children, was located in St Pancras, London. It was preceded by similar institutions in Dublin and Cork, both funded by government, but the London hospital was founded by philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram.
Royal Charter. In 1739, the founding royal charter was signed by King George II. Coram presented this document to the Duke of Bedford at a distinguished gathering at 'Old' Somerset House. The charter outlined the hospital's aims and listed numerous founding governors, including dukes, earls, and aldermen.
Initial Operations. The hospital was established to provide education and maintenance for exposed and deserted young children. The term 'hospital' was used in a general sense to indicate hospitality. The first children were admitted on 25 March 1741 into a temporary house in Hatton Garden.
People involved
- Thomas Coram · Founder
- King George II · Royal Charter Signatory
- William Hogarth · Founding Governor
- Taylor White · Founding Governor and First Treasurer
Sources
- Foundling Hospital Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-22
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.