St Mary's Home Bishopbriggs

[Rosie-K]

Could someone please help me with this, I have just been sent a copy of a request for an application for poor relief that I ordered from the Mitchell Library, my question is this--I have a relation who spent some time in St. Mary's home Bishopbriggs Glasgow. I was wondering what kind of place this was, I would like to know if it was a punishment centre or perhaps a place for homeless people, the date was 1920.

[SarahND]

Hi Rosie-K,
Was the person elderly? I googled and found an obituary of a priest who died in 2005 age 92:

http://news.scotsman.com/obituaries/Ver ... 2625995.jp

"He served in two parishes in Glasgow, Bishopbriggs and St Albert's in the south side of the city...
...He also regularly visited the residents of St Mary's home for the elderly in the town."

All the best,
Sarah

[nelmit]

Could someone please help me with this, I have just been sent a copy of a request for an application for poor relief that I ordered from the Mitchell Library, my question is this--I have a relation who spent some time in St. Mary's home Bishopbriggs Glasgow. I was wondering what kind of place this was, I would like to know if it was a punishment centre or perhaps a place for homeless people, the date was 1920.

There is also a reference here for St Mary's Industrial School for boys if the relation was young and male.

Regards,
Annette

[Rosie-K]

Thankyou both for your replies, this was a young girl who was in this place from 1922 and was still their in 1925, her name was Roseanne Oshaughnessy, I think she was about 10 or 11 and she was still at the home in 1925.

[AnneM]

St Mary's is now a secure residential unit for children. Perhaps at that time it was a children's home.

Anne

[SarahND]

Well Annette... looks like we both struck out! Young and female!
Thanks, Anne, that sounds more likely.

Cheers,
Sarah

[Rosie-K]

Thanks ladies, much appreciated. Well done.

[AnneM]

I have to say there are many times when I wish I knew nothing about secure accommodation for children, yesterday having been largely one of them, but at least it comes in useful on occasions!! Currently St Mary's belongs to the Catholic Church so I would guess that the place your person was at was also Catholic particularly given her name.

Anne

[Rosie-K]

Ann, I have just read an article about St.Mary's Kenmure Bishopbriggs, this article says that it was forced to close down in March this year when the children ran riot, furious workers described it as a war zone.
It was also said that it housed some of Scotland's most dangerous youngsters.
I believe as was said earlier that it was a children's home in the 1920's I cannot imagine them running riot in they days, I think they would have been too scared.

[AnneM]

So I believe. Did not register on my radar at the time but saw the article you refer to. Having said that, the media and in particular the red top press tend to hype these incidents up. It does sound pretty horrible though. I've never been to St Mary's Kenmure so don't really know what it's like....does sound as though they had more than a spot of bother then. For a child to be in secure accommodation they must have either a history of absconding which puts them at risk or be assessed as being a risk to themselves or others. These kids in general are very troubled.

I'm pretty sure the 1920s kids would have been more subdued. Mind you my mother tells me that some of my grandfather's classmates in the Quali class (i.e. primary 7) at Sandbank School threw a detested headmaster onto the open fire in the classroom! That must have been in around 1908. I'm not sure of the exact truth of that story but can vouch for the existence of the fireplace as that was also my P7 classroom some 60 years later!