The Royal Seaman's and Marines' Orphan School

The bereft of Portsmouth have often been on the nation's conscience through past ages. One interesting result was the formation in 1834 of the Royal Seaman's and Marines' Orphan School. Unlike most schools at this time, this well endowed institution was strongly funded and had many eminent members of society, including Queen Victoria and the Prince Regent, as patrons. It was also handsomely supported through subscriptions given by the officers and men of many varying ships. The school educated, clothed and fed 60 boys and 30 girls and, from 1874, had prominent gothic premises in St Michael's Road. Virtually complete records for this institution survive at the Portsmouth Records Office. Full details for all scholars are included making them a goldmine for family historians. Very little work has, however, been undertaken so far on this enormously interesting and largely overlooked part of Portsmouth's past.