RootsChat.Com
Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Ayrshire => Topic started by: provan on Saturday 25 June 11 18:33 BST (UK)
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looking for information about barrholm, largs. was a home for neglected children in the early part of the 20th century.
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hi provan
i too am looking for information of the childrens home at barrhol, largs. for the 1930's. I was told a little story and few years back thet it had actually burnt down and the records were distroyed but i have yet to find any facts about this. will keep you in mind if i do find anything.m kindest regards. celia
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celia, thank-you for your reply. all i know is that it was a home for neglected children. i have tried various places to find out where the records have gone. tried gros, paisley library, ayreshire scocial work, and mitchel library. this may help you to cut down your search.
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Hi Provan and Celia
There is really next to nothing on line is there about the home :-\ All I can see are a few snippet views of entries on 'google books' and a couple of job ads looking for a matron for the home through the late 1940s. Described in these as a home for up to 35 children, all of school age.
Monica
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Barrholm did not burn down it was shut down in 1983. It is now an old folks hom called moorburn home.
It was not for neglected children as all different kids were there. There were some orphans, kids put in as the parents got divorced, others that needed extra support, some disabled ect. You must remember that if you were disabled or your parents were seperated the courts put the kids in homes as they thought this was better for them.
It was never a nice place to be as they rued with the hand. Sorry if I upset anyone but I remeber being beaten for going to the toilet.
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Hi Mari0119
Welcome to RootsChat :)
Monica
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Hi Monica, Mari
From stories I have heard there are not a lot of homes that children where not beaten. sadly my late uncle was sent to the quarriers and had it beaten into him that he had no family and would have to stand on his own two feet, when in fact he had sisters (these are the ones I'm trying to find out where they were placed. I know it was not the quarriers and it had been hinted that it could have been barrholm in largs. around 1920/23 mum was a baby probably about 12 months and her sister about 3 years. There is another part to their tale and it could be they were put with nuns in that area before being transferred up to the highland where they spent their days in foster care there until they left home or got married. I have a feeling it was something to do with the nuns that was burnt down, but again it is only guess work and what the girls had a vague memory of being told (rightly or wrongly sometimes)
so i guess its back to the drawing board try and locate poor law records etc that might mention them
hope you two have better luck with your quests.
kindest regards
Celia
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I have tried to find anything about the home. Nobody seems to know anything. The records seem to be lost, as I have tried Edinburgh, Paisley and the Mitchell. If anybody knows where else I can try, Please Let Me Know :'(
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Just came across this post,3 of my brothers went to Barrholm in largs late 1974-5 was quite a large building from memory with a lot of children at that time,our parents had split as was mentioned above and the reason my brothers were sent there.They did not like it, i just remember a very Victorian looking building with steps leading up and a lot of children there.
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sorry I cant help you but ,Largs has its own "Largs & North Ayrshire Family History Society"
http://www.largsnafhs.org.uk/
maybe someone can help you there , you can contact them webmaster[at]largsnafhs.org.uk (replace [at] with @)
regards
Elinga
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hi there
can you remember where it was or do you's have an address for barrholm.
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Celia, tried a new search today. There are telephone directory entries (from the online search I am doing these show between 1940-77:
Barrholm (Paisley Parish Council), Moorburn Road, Largs.
Could this be the children's home and its location/address I wonder?
Monica
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Looks to be the address I think. After the home was closed, the property, as mentioned by Mari earlier, was turned into a nursing home:
Moorburn Manor Nursing Home opened in May 1990 .....
Before its conversion into a Nursing Home, Moorburn Manor was a childrens home known as Barr Home. Some people in the town with good memories still remember the ‘Home Children’ as they were known. Some time after the war with the increase in foster care and adoption the need for a childrens home was reduced.
The building lay empty for some time and was eventually put up for sale in the 80’s when it was subsequently converted into the Nursing Home it is today.
www.moorburnmanor.com
Photo here from the site www.moorburnmanor.com/gallery.htm
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Hi Monica
Many thanks for that, will look into it closer now i have a lead on it. will also contact the council and see if they have any records in their archives relating to it
once again many many thanks
kindest regards
Cecilia
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I remember Barrholm well as I spent quite a bit of time there. Photo taken in garden.
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Scotty68, Welcome to RootsChat :)
Monica
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Thanks MonicaL
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I'm the one scratching my head!!
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I wondered if you were in the photo!
Monica
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Yes, plus two sisters and one brother.
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:) Provan and Celia will get email notifications of your posts. Hopefully they will post again.
Monica
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hi monica, hi scottie 68
been off the grid for a bit but back to searching again
Blimey scottie I cant believe the photgraph. The little boy on the left looks like a boy on a photo i've got, but i suppose a lot of children can look alike. When were you there. I'm looking at 1930 onwards to possibly 1950. Do you remember any childrens names
Who ran the place, was it anything to do with the church
hope you're all keeping well
regards
celia
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Celia, glad you are there :)
Just a comment please to everyone....please take care on names in case people involved are still alive and well (which we hope they are!). Event for this period are relatively recent for the normal working rules on RootsChat and we need to protect people's privacy at all times (which is where PMs come in really useful).
Monica
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Celia, I was there about 1956/57/58. Boy on left is Gilbert. If I remember correctly it was a catholic home.
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Hi Monica Hi Scotty
Little boy look like my late uncle Billy. I know that he ended up at the Quarrirs then later transferred to isle of iona to work for a farmer.
Its mum and my aunt that i am struggling to place in a home. there was talk of a childrens home at barrholm ayrshire and it belonging to nuns which fits. This is 1930/1933 i'd say. mum was born 1929 at auchentorlie. they were later fostered out to the highlands where they stayed until they were married. mum was about 18 months to 2 years when they were transferred there. Struggling to find paperwork in relation to the home etc. have found whole file on my late uncle at the mitchel library but nothing on the girls
if you have any more photos on the home would love to see them scotty
thanks for tip Monica, will keep it in mind, like you say it is best to be careful
best wishes to you both
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My sister obtained photo so I will find out how she can be it and if there are any more photos about.
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Hi guys,
Scotty my dad must have been in Barr home around same time 1955 - 1961 if you have anymore pictures could you post or mail them would be great
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Hi everyone, I guess I was one of the later arrivals at Barrholm...it was not a happy place for myself and my brother. We were only there for a short period of time due to my mum being sick, I am trying to trace a girl who was from paisley too and her sister (*)...We went to Williamsburgh Primary in Paisley.
I know that when children reached 11 they got transferred out to another location...I was there 1973 maybe 1974...they used to take us down to the local church (think it was brethren) for the school holiday programme.
If anyone knows of any of those people, can you please get in touch...thanks
;)
Moderator Comment: see post below.
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Hi paisleygirl
Welcome to RootsChat :)
I have taken off the name of the lady you are trying to find. RootsChat is not a site for trying to trace (potentially) living people but very much for ancestors. This is done to protect people's identity and privacy.
People here will be able to give you general tips and hints how to proceed, but not any concrete details.
You will also find more tips here:
Topic: Tracing Living Relatives
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,261434.0.html
and
Topic: Searching for living relatives and Rootschat
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,142443.0.html
Good luck with the search.
Monica
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1972-73 was around the time my family were sent to Barrholm paisley girl.we came from the Shortroods area of paisley.
regards
katrina
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hi i used to stay in largs and there was three childrens homes
barrholm
clark house
and their was one along the shore
alison
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Hi Alison
Welcome to Rootschat :)
Monica
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Don't have any facts to contribute but this story really should make us count our blessings. Very best to everyone involved hope you find what you are looking for.
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I know that the posts able are quite old but I just saw them. I lived in Barrholm in Largs from 1974-1982. I loved it. There were only 20 or so kids and Violet Cameron, the last matron who ran the place like a large family was fantastic. Yeah! Like any family, it had its moments and ups and downs, but my life only fell apart when I went to foster care after it. The home did close and is now an old folks home. There wasn't such good governance around records then but I reckon they went to Port Glasgow Social Work as there was a change in areas and they were the last SW service to have responsibility for the home. The other route to take is that Violet's daughter and granddaughter still live there. Castlevechi is their name and I wouldn't be surprised if Vi hadn't taken them home. I met her again just before she died and I really miss my time in Largs there. Ian
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My brother Maurice ,sister Marie ,brother Gilbert and me Christina Rourke are in photo
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My brother Maurice ,sister Marie,brother Gilbert and me Christina Rourke all in photo it's from 1956
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Hi Chrissie
Welcome to RootsChat :)
Goodness, is this you and family here www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=540741.msg4383952#msg4383952 - reply #6 from some time ago.
Monica
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Yes that's us all still living x
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I never stop being surprised about how lucky we are today to connect with the power of the internet.
It wasn't reply #6 was it :P - it was #14!
Hopefully Scotty68 can add more...
Monica
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Hopefully we went to Barholm after our mum took ill she died shortly after we had been there.
We got split up me and Marie went to one set of foster parents and Maurice and Gilbert to another we eventually all ended up together in one house.We have another sister Margaret and brother Charles they were too young for Barholm went to nursery in Paisley they also ended up with USC
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Hi Monica
I was really hoping there would be more photos and records x
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Chrissie, everyone who has posted on this thread will have got an email letting them know of your new posts. Hopefully someone may have more photos from that time or be able to add further details :)
Monica
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Hi all, I have just joined Roots Chat - been researching my family history and my gran and her brother and sister were admitted to Barrholm in Largs in November 1922 from Auchentorlie in Paisley. Her brother died in 1923 and the two girls were fostered out to Comar Muir in Beauly in 1924 from Barrholm. Paisley Heritage Centre were fantastic in providing loads of information in the Parish Poor records. Dorm that I got details of family who fostered the girls and can see on earlier census records details of the foster parent from 1911 and also her death cert from 1945. I have written to North Ayrshire Council to see if they hold any records for Barrholm. If I get any, I will let you all know.
Best wishes,
Ann
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BARRHOME, LARGS I am now 81 years old and was sent to Barrhome circa 1936/37 with my two sisters. We were seperated and sent to different places when we left the home. The two girls stayed together but I was sent elsewhere. I was then told I had no sisters and eventually found them 65 years later !! I have looked into finding records before but with no luck (I was told they were destroyed) If anyone knows where to find records of the home please get in touch ?
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Jim, welcome to RootsChat :)
Thank you for sharing your story. Wow. A long life and a long search...
Monica
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Hi me and my brother was at a home in Largs I think it was Barholm I think from 1970 -1974 ish
Did it have a big hall where it had little cupboards where you clothes were and a bench round it ?
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hi there
can you remember where it was or do you's have an address for barrholm.
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I was in Barr Holme from 74-78 last time I went down there it had been turned into a dentist and believe there was doctors down stairs it flooded me with good and terrible memories
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I lived in Barrholm children’s home from 1976 till it closed in the 80’s I was the last child to leave it before it closed I was the only child in there for months Vi Cameron was the matron during my time there but I despised the place some really horrible people there
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Hi Sharon 1968 I remember you and your brothers. I was a resident in Barrholm with my older sister from March 1975 after it reopened after the fire, I was there until June 1982 when I was moved along the road to Clark House before being mover multiple times until I ended up in Redheugh in Kilbirnie.
I have been doing some research on my history and the town house in Irvine has been great for accessing items especially the stuff from the largs and Millport weekly news
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Barrholm was built by the Clark family who owned the Mills, they built more than one home in Largs where they retired to. Barrholm was for children from the paisley area and opened in 1908 or there abouts. Lately it housed up to 26 young people and the matorn in charge was Vi Cameron who passed away years ago. In October 1974 there was a fire in the attic and closed for 6 months while repairs were completed. It reopened in March 1975 and filled up quickly. Most young people from the last group did not experience good quality of care, it closed late 1982 and was initially used as a holiday home for other residential units before it became and old folks home in the early 90s. In June 2023 it announced that it would close after 2 inspections concluded serious ussues