"Their keepers": Thomas Guthrie, the Edinburgh Original Ragged School talk.

Histories of child welfare and protection in Britain focus on the 1880s and the formation of the NSPCC and the SNSPCC. Yet the records of Thomas Guthrie’s Edinburgh Original Ragged School (est. 1847) that are the focus of this talk by Laura Mair, necessitate a re-evaluation of this timeline. A prominent national and international figure, Guthrie’s advocacy for the rights of poor children laid the groundwork for later child-saving initiatives.

This talk is also available to view live online tickets.

The talk will be recorded and later added to the

The venue has an Auracast hearing system for those with impaired hearing.

Laura Mair is the Mary R. S. Creese Lecturer in Modern Scottish History at the University of Aberdeen. She has published widely on ragged schools, with articles in the ‘Journal of Victorian Culture’, ‘Family & Community’, and ‘Studies in Church History’. Her first book, ‘Religion and Relationships in Ragged Schools’ (2019) explored the interactions between teachers and children. Her second book focuses on Thomas Guthrie and the Edinburgh Original Ragged School and is currently in press.