{{Short description|Former clerical institution in the United Kingdom}} {{other|House of Mercy (disambiguation)}} '''Houses of Mercy''' were Anglican institutions that operated from the mid-19th century<ref>''ST. JOHN'S HOUSE, of MERCY, Bedminster.'' The Times (London, England), Friday, Aug 28, 1868; pg. 6; Issue 26215</ref> to the mid-20th.<ref>''Ecclesiastical News. House of Mercy, Horbury'' The Times (London, England), Tuesday, Jul 20, 1943; pg. 6; Issue 49602</ref> They were to house "fallen women",<ref>''THE CHURCH ASSOCIATION'' The Times (London, England), Wednesday, Aug 15, 1877; pg. 8; Issue 29021</ref> a term used to imply female sexual promiscuity or work in prostitution. Many women entering were unmarried mothers, an unacceptable situation at that time.<ref>{{cite book|last=Steinbach|first=Susie|title=Women in England 1760–1914: A Social History|year=2004|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York|isbn=1-4039-6754-7|pages=127}}</ref>
==United Kingdom==
===England=== * Bristol: This home<ref>''ST. JOHN'S HOUSE, of MERCY, Bedminster.'' The Times (London, England), Friday, Aug 28, 1868; pg. 6; Issue 26215</ref> was in Ashley Road, Bedminster.<ref>'A Bristol Miscellany', Patrick McGrath (ed) p200: Bristol, Bristol Record Society, 1985 {{ISBNT|((090153866X))}}.<!-- Invalid ISBN seems to have been printed in the book--></ref> * Stroud: The home was in the village of Bussage.<ref>''Ecclesiastical Intelligence'' The Times (London, England), Friday, Apr 29, 1898; pg. 8; Issue 35503</ref> * Chester: The home was in Lache lane.<ref>[http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/7ec3be44-e5db-4cd6-9b54-4b8bc8d8da44 National Archives]</ref> * Clewer: The Clewer House of Mercy was at Clewer near Windsor in the county of Berkshire.<ref>[http://www.berkshirerecordoffice.org.uk/this-months-highlight/2012-archive/october-2012-good-works-clewer/ Berkshire Record Office]</ref><ref>Carter, T. T.; Hutchings, W. H.: ''Life and Letters of Thomas Thellusson Carter: Warden of the House of Mercy''. London: Longman, 1904</ref> William Henry Hutchings was Warden from 1865 to 1884 when he became rector of Pickering.<ref>''Dr. W. H. Hutchings.'' The Times (London, England), Monday, Jan. 08, 1912; pg. 11; Issue 39789</ref> He was succeeded by Thomas Thellusson Carter.<ref>Staley, V. (1908) ''The Catholic Religion''. Oxford: A. R. Mowbray & Co.; p. vii (preface written in 1893)</ref> * Great Maplestead: This was known as the 'St Alban's House of Mercy'.<ref>''Ecclesiastical News.'' The Times (London, England), Tuesday, Apr 21, 1925; pg. 17; Issue 43941</ref> * Horbury: This home, founded in 1859,<ref>''Obituary.Canon John Sharp'' The Times (London, England), Thursday, Jun 11, 1903; pg. 10; Issue 37104</ref> was near Wakefield.<ref>''Public Appointments.'' The Times (London, England), Saturday, Mar 17, 1923; pg. 3; Issue 43292</ref> The home celebrated its Golden jubilee in 1909.<ref>''Ecclesiastical Intelligence'' The Times (London, England), Monday, Mar 01, 1909; pg. 4; Issue 38895</ref> * London: London Diocesan Penitentiary * Lostwithiel: While chaplain of Bodmin Jail, the Rev. W. F. Everest founded a Cornish home.<ref>''Obituary William Frederick Everest'' The Times (London, England), Friday, Sep 28, 1906; pg. 7; Issue 38137</ref> * Newcastle upon Tyne: This was in Salters Road, Gosforth.<ref>David Knight, ‘Gurney, Henry Palin (1847–1904)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/33612, accessed 26 Feb 2017]</ref>
===Wales=== * St Davids: The home was located in the village of Lamphey.<ref>''Ecclesiastical Intelligence'' The Times (London, England), Friday, Nov 27, 1891; pg. 6; Issue 33493</ref>
==South Africa== * Cape Town: The home<ref>''The Sisters Of All Saints', Cape Town W. G. CAMERON'' The Times (London, England), Monday, Oct 14, 1895; pg. 7; Issue 34707</ref> was located in Plein Street<ref>[http://www.leliebloem.org.za/ Leliebloem House]</ref>
==Notable donors== As an Anglican charity, the homes attracted many notable sponsors, such as * Catherine Gladstone: She was the wife of four times Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone.<ref name=Isba>{{cite book|last=Isba|first=Anne|title=Gladstone and Women|year=2006|publisher=Hambledon Continuum|location=London|isbn=1-85285-471-5|pages=102}}</ref> * The Hon Pascoe Charles Glyn: He was a partner in the banking firm of Messrs Glyn, Mills, Currie & co.<ref>''Wills And Bequests.-The Hon. Pascoe Charles Glyn'' The Times (London, England), Thursday, Dec 01, 1904; pg. 12; Issue 37566</ref> * Frances Selby Brodrick: She lived at Eaton Terrace, SW1.<ref>''Large Gifts For Charitable Institutions'' The Times (London, England), Saturday, Sep 02, 1911; pg. 9; Issue 39680</ref> * Fanny Thursby: The widow<ref>[http://www.thepeerage.com/p19430.htm#i194299 thePeerage.com]</ref> of The Rev William Ford Thursby, Rector of Bergh Apton.<ref>''Wills and bequests'' The Times (London, England), Thursday, Mar 10, 1910; pg. 13; Issue 39216</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Imprisonment and detention Category:History of women in the United Kingdom Category:Anglicanism Category:Christianity and women