ESTADO ACTUAL DEL LEAEE

Octoroon.. A person having one-eighth Negro blood; the offspring of a quadroon and a white; sometimes used of other mixed races.

1861 D. Boucicault (title) The Octoroon

1862 J. E. Caimes Revol. Am er. 17 The mulattoes, quadroons and octoroons who now form so large a proportion of the whole enslaved population of the South. 1891 Times 8 Jan. 9 /3 The m ulatto, the quadroon, and the octoroon are chiefly products of the slavery period.’™

A m onth after M argaret's admission in A ugust 1899 two sisters, Nancy aged twelve and Florence aged nine, and their companion Elizabeth, also nine, arrived from the w est coast of Africa (see figure 4.6). The girls had been living w ith their grandm others in Sierra Leone, and it is ironic, at best, that it was from Freetown that their 'guardian' Ralph Benson made the application for the girls' admission.’”’ Born in Knightsbridge, w ith homes in west London and Shropshire, the thirty-four year old Benson had first come into contact w ith them while working at Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone."” As m entioned earlier, the College had been set up in 1827 by the Church M issionary Society, as the first perm anent institution for the advanced training of black people in W est Africa'" - it is not clear w hat role Benson played at the college. In Benson's letter of application, which was sent from his west London home, he drew a grim picture of the surroundings from where they came. He claimed that the girls were not properly cared for because their mothers spent a lot of time aw ay from their children, trading. Their fathers' whereabouts "could not be got at" and it was assum ed that they w ere "probably tradesm en or clerks w ho have long ago left the colony". They lived w ith w om en "calling themselves grandmothers", w ho were, apparently only too anxious to get rid of them; one of these women had apparently declared her intention to devote the children to prostitution. "‘ Moreover, their guardian noted the girls were "herded w ith negro gutter-children"'" He deplored the social environm ent in which he claimed they lived where:

OED

B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, nos., 22 781, 22 782, 22 783 BLU D 239/D /2/2a/104 Précis Book 15

“ H ans W erner D ebrunner, 1979

B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, nos., 22 781, 22 782, 22 783 BLU D 239/D /2/2a/104 Précis Book 15

To be S e e n a n d not H eard

A m o n g st the n a tiv e p o p u la tio n the m o st ord in ary m orality in the great m ajority of b oth sex es, h e states, is n o n ­ existen t. [...] T h ey liv e d and slep t a m o n g su rr o u n d in g s w h ich m ean t b o d ily and sp iritu al ruin, and w h ich , in the ca se of girls a lm ost zuhite

s e e m e d sp ec ia lly rev o ltin g and sad."''

A p p a re n tly E lizab eth 's h om e w as "exceptionally h o rrib le an d filthy"."^ She w as co n sid ered to be in v e ry delicate h ealth p e rh a p s req u irin g a g reat deal of care. This a ssu m p tio n seem s to have stem m ed from a m alfo rm atio n of her jaw , w h ich w a s su p p o se d to h ave been c au sed by an injury at birth. H ow ever, the m edical officers at B a rn a rd o 's felt it could be c u red w ith a sm all op eratio n . D espite this Benson w as d o u b tfu l th a t she w o u ld be able to m ake h er living as a dom estic servant."^

F ig u re 4.6

N a n c y a n d F loren ce 15"’ N o v e m b e r 1899 4 6 /2 0 38793, c / o BFA

BLU D239/D/2/2a/104 Précis Book 15, original em phasis. BLU D239/D/2/2a/104 Précis Book 15

T o b e S e e n a n d n o t H e a r d

In their admission histories the girls are all described as being "octoroons", w ith "dark complexions""^ and in contrast to Benson's assertion, in their photographs they do not appear

to be almost zuhite (see figures 4.7 and 4.8). This

explanation is further complicated by the remarks of the Medical officer. Despite being labelled an 'Octoroon' with a dark complexion, the remarks by the medical officer state that the girls are "Quadroons"."^ According to the 'definitions' of

the racial terms, you cannot be both. The

discrepancy only illustrates how untenable and superficial such definitions of race were.

F ig u re 4.7

N a n c y 15"’ N o v e m b e r 1899

4 6 /2 0 38788/9

r / n RPA

Barnardo retold their stories in the context of the imperial concerns of the day. In an

issue of the National Waifs' Magazine, 1903, Barnardo responded to those readers who:

near and far h ave exp ressed su rp rise in reference to the statem en t m ad e in a recent issu e that the H o m es received d estitu te B ritish-born ch ild ren from su ch far a w a y p la ce s as A le x a n d ria , Barbados, C onsta)itinoplc, and variou s to w n s in France and

Gernia}i\j, Polaiid, R ussia, and Persia. Such rescu es are, h o w e \ er, far from u n u su a l in ou r an nals, and in so m e few e x c ep tio n a l in stan ces the ch ild ren ad m itted can n ot e v e n be said to he British born.""

He went on to add:

Just n o w , for exam p le, e v e ry b o d y is th in k in g ab out Africa. O n the n ext p a g e w ill b e se en tw o little girls from Sierra Leone n o w u n d er m y care.''" T h ey h a v e b een in m ates of our V illage H om e for four years, and they are m ak in g g o o d p ro g ress at sch ool. T hese dear ch ild ren m a y on e d ay, p erh ap s, return to their p lace of birth. If they d o, I h o p e and exp ect that th ey w ill carry w ith them the w o n d er fu l tid in g s of the S aviou r's love, for these th ey h a v e learn ed d u rin g their years of training in our q u iet Essex cottages. To m ake su ch ch ild ren inisskviaries in their turn is truly the a p o sto lic m eth od . T hese tw o are g o o d and g en tle ch ild ren and d o in g w e ll in S ch ool and C ottage life.'"'

There is little other documentation of the girls' lives in England, or what interest their guardian kept in them. Nancy received one letter from Ralph Benson in November 1899, but he does not seem to have made any further contact with the girls he had

B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, nos., 22 781, 22 782, 22 783 B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, 22 781, 22 782, 22 783

'I" The National Waifs’ Magazine, April 1903, pp24 - 25; all original em phasis

The im age that appears is that of the two sisters. There is no picture of Elizabeth in the archives, a possible explanation a s to why Barnardo did not include her in the article.

T o b e S e e n a n d n o t H e a r d

taken upon himself to rescue. Nancy and Florence did make another appearance in

N atiom l Waifs' Magazine in November 1903. They were not named, but they seem to be the same girls, and they formed part of another illustration of the international (and racialised) nature of the Barnardo's homes. "Here are two girls from Sierra Leone and one from the Congo. The different types of face are distinctly perceptible."’" Five years later, Nancy left Bamardo's to enter domestic service, and we do know that she had at least one child. Her son Mark was admitted into a Barnardo's home in 1920.”^ Florence left to be employed at a doctor's

^ surgery in Croydon in 1907.’“^

It seems unlikely that the girls ever returned to Africa, or saw their African family members again. Formal agreements with the parents of all the children were supposed to

be received by Barnardo's. In the case of

Nancy and Florence only "an informal agreement" with their mother is recorded in the Précis, although in the admission records it is stated that their mother "signed an agreement handing over both her daughters unreservedly to the custody of Mr Benson with a view to their being placed in these Homes"’'"; with Elizabeth Smith there was no agreement, formal or informal, with any relations.’'” After her initial admission Elizabeth Smith was not referred to again.

Figure 4.8

Floren ce 15* N o v e m b e r 1899

46/20 38791/0 c /o BPA

The National W aifs’ Magazine, April 1903, p24 National Waifs’ Magazine, November 1903, p88 BLU D239/D/2/2a/104 Précis Book 15

B Girls’ Location Book (A)

BLU D239/D/2/2a/104 Précis Book 15; B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, 22 781, 22 782, 22 783 BLU D239/D/2/2a/104 Précis Book 15

T o b e S e e n a n d n o t H e a r d

4.9 H elen

M ulatto n. and a. mulato young mule, hence one of mixed race, a mulatto, obscurely derived from mulo MULE.

A.n. 1 One w ho is the offspring of a European and a Black; also used loosely for anyone of mixed race resembling a mulatto.

1854 Thackeray Neiucomes 1. 31 Two wooly-headed poor little mulattos.

1885 R. L. & F. Stevenson Dynamiter xi. That hag of a m ulatto w om an was no less a person than m y wife.

B. adj.

1 Belonging to a class of mulattos.

1837 H. M artineau Soc. Amer. II. 156 She was asked whether she thought of doing anything for her two m ulatto children.

1900 Deniker Races o f M an xiii. 542 A M ulatto wom an, the offspring of a Spaniard and a negress, may give birth to a Morisco by uniting w ith a Spaniard.

In September 1899 Helen was adm itted to the Home (see figure 4.9). H er history begins: "[t]his illegitimate child is a Negress, b u t the m other is a w hite w om an w hose m aiden nam e was Jenkins."'"^ The application on H elen's behalf came from the N ational Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) w ho had stepped in to protect her from habitual neglect. In the letter from the NSPCC Helen is described as a negress w ho is "quite black, w ith curly hair".’"’ Yet those assessing her case at Bam ardo's felt she was "probably a mulatto".'^” Helen was eight w hen she arrived at Barnardo's to be described as a "half-caste" w ith a "Negress' complexion"."’ Helen h ad been living in Swansea, and was born two months after her m other's m arriage to a labourer who worked at the Swansea Gas Works. It seems however, that although she was supposed to have been christened w ith her stepfather's nam e "[o]n account of her colour she had been a source of irritation to her stepfather and has caused m uch strife between him and his wife."’^' As a result of this about three months before the application, Helen had been sent to live w ith her m other's sister-in-law, w ho ran a low-class lodging house, and her young m arried daughter.’"

H elen was employed by both w om en chiefly to run errands for them between their tw o homes. She was not well looked after, and her clothes gradually became ragged and dirty. She was abused by these relatives too and had been severely beaten in the

OED

B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, no 22 633 '-".BLU D239/D /2/2a/104 Précis Book 15

B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, no 22 633 B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, no 22 633 B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, no 22 633 B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, no 22 633

T o b e S e e n a n d n o t H e a r d

street by her step-aunt.'^^ Barnardo's and the NSPCC felt that her parents had failed to take responsibility for Helen; she had been very unhappy and had run away several t i m e s . U n d e r the circumstances both institutions felt it impossible for her health and neglect not to have been noticed by her parents. It would seem that her parents did not care, and continually sent her back to her step-aunt.

The NSPCC were unable to make a case for a prosecution, but her mother was advised to have Helen placed in a Home. It seems her mother and stepfather were only too eager to have Helen taken away and her stepfather said he would have been willing to pay between 1/6 and 2 /- a week to get rid of her "chiefly because of her colour". It seems that Helen was the only other black girl to be fostered. She was sent to a foster home at the turn of the century, the records do not state where, and we do not know how her life really fared. She does not seem to have been back to the rescue home, yet she must have found it hard to find a stable life for herself. Her son Frank had his case for admittance into the Home placed before Barnardo's in 1921.'^^

Figure 4.9

H e le n 16* Oct ob er 1899 46/12 22633

c / o BPA

BLU D239/D/2/2a/104 Précis Book 15 B Girls’ Histories 1880-1901, no 22 633

BLU D239/D/2/2a/104 Précis Book 15 & B Girls Location Book (A) ' BLU D239/D/2/2a/104 Précis Book 15

T o b e S e e n a n d n o t H e a r d