Boys Scattered Home, Whitley

During family research in the 1911 census I have found a relation, a boy aged 12, was at the Boys Scattered Home, at Plemont (?difficult to read the handwriting) Villa, Whitley otherwise known as the Home for Children under the Control of the Guardians, with Edith Birch in charge described as foster mother I think. I have not encountered this type of institution before, was it attached to a workhouse? or some form of corrective home for delinquents like an early form of borstal? Any information gratefully received.

There are several references on this site to Plemont Villa, including the pub section - became the Royal Oak Whitley. I'll pull yours and Tony1's comments into the Children's Homes topics in a few days.

Many thanks, Helen As ever your help is much appreciated. Geoff

The following information was barred from me for 100 years. Both my mother and uncle were in the control of guardians in 1921 after being taken into care by the court. My uncle was held at Plemont Villa before emigrating off to Canada at the age 11 years to work on a farm. Middlemore (Emigrating) Homes of Birmingham were responsible for moving children away from property and ill health around the world. My Mother was sent to Bristol age 6 years and was placed under the control of the Anglican Nuns, the place known as an Industrial Institution. My mother was taken out of the convent early after spending 10 years there. The children worked many long hours under very strict rules laid down by the Nuns. Some worked in the convent's industrial laundry others in the surrounding gardens (workhouse?). The produce was sold to the community, the clothes were also for the community. The way children were treated around the world we will never know.

I've been making more enquiries, notably through Ancestry and have discovered that William Albert MIles was a casualty of World War One. I had found him previously on the CWGC site but because of lack of information given there didn't realise it was him, no details of his family or even his age were given which is odd as the information is there if you dig enough. The names of his home address and all his relations (siblings as well as parents) and service record are all in a 24 page pack. He died in March 1918 aged 20.