Florence Lock – An Orphan’s Childhood in Victorian Institutions

Florence Lock was born into instability in Lambeth, London, in 1884. Her father, John Lock, a stonemason, had moved the family from Newport in search of work, but died within a year. This left his wife Eliza and their young children stranded in London with no income, forcing a desperate return to Newport to live with Eliza’s grandfather next to the Waterloo Hotel,

where the couple had first met.

The Waterloo Hotel, Newport.

Tragedy compounded upon tragedy. The financial strain broke Florence’s grandfather, who was declared bankrupt in 1886 amid reports of his declining health. Florence’s mother, Eliza, also passed away in 1890. The orphaned children were left in the care of their ailing grandfather, a situation that could not last.

By 1893, the two youngest, Florence and her brother James, entered the workhouse system. They were placed in Caerleon Industrial School, an institution designed to educate and train poor or neglected children for a life of work. For five years, the school’s walls and routines replaced family life.

Florence Lock’s Industrial School record book

In 1897, at age 12, Florence was transferred to The National Children’s Home in Bethnal Green because she was a Wesleyan Methodist. Here, she remained for an exceptionally long eight years. While most girls her age entered domestic service, Florence’s childhood extended within the home’s care until she was 20, when she finally requested to leave and begin working.

Life outside the institution offered little freedom. As a domestic servant, she lived under the control of employers, her world confined to their household. What is remarkable is that the Children’s Home maintained contact with her until 1909, exchanging letters with both Florence and her employer, demonstrating a prolonged, if distant, concern for her welfare.

Letter to The Children's Home from Florence Lock's employer.

Florence’s story is a powerful account of life within the Victorian system. These very letters form the heart of our book, Florence Lock: An Orphan’s Letters, which explores her full story and the fragile bridge the home tried to build between an institutional childhood and an independent life.

Florence Lock: An Orphan's Letters