[an error occurred while processing this directive] Female Orphan Asylum, Brighton, Sussex
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Female Orphan Asylum, Brighton, Sussex

Brighton's Female Orphan Asylum was established in 1822 by the Chevalier Francois de Rosaz 'to clothe, board, and instruct gratuitously, poor orphan girls who have lost both parents.'

The Home occupied initially rented premises on Western Road, Brighton, then moved to with Mrs Potter acting as matron for a span of 21 years beginning in 1836. The charity eventually succeeded in raising funds for a new building, whose foundation stone was laid on 16th June, 1853, by Lady Jane Peel. The new premises, at 177 Eastern Road, Brighton, could accommodate up to 25 girls, aged 5 to 12 years at their time of admission.

Former Female Orphan Asylum, Eastern Road, Brighton

Girls were admitted between the ages of 6 and 10 years. They received an ordinary elementary education, together with instruction in household duties. No payment required, but each applicant needed to be nominated by a subscriber to the charity, who certified the particulars of her situation. Inmates remained until the age of 16, when they received an outfit and were placed in service.

Francois de Rosaz died in 1876 and left money for the founding of a Protestant Orphan Asylum in Brighton. In 1893, after many years of legal wrangling, the de Rosaz bequest came to the Female Orphan Asylum, whose formal name now became the Female Orphan Asylum and De Rosaz Protestant Orphan Asylum.

In 1936, the home moved a short distance to 1 Bristol Gate, with the Eastern Road premises being taken over by the adjacent Royal Sussex County Hospital. By 1956, now known as the Brighton and Hove Girls' Orphanage, the home's address was given as 2 Bristol Gate. The establishment, subsequently renamed Rosaz House, continued in operation until around 1990, by which time it was being used as a holiday home for deprived and handicapped children. The building was subsequently occupied by the Sussex Cancer Centre.

Former Female Orphan Asylum, Brighton

Records

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  • None identfied at present — any information welcome.

Census

Bibliography

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