Coram
Website: http://www.coram.org.uk/
About Coram
Coram and the Foundling Hospital
Coram is the UK's first dedicated children's charity with a fascinating heritage that spans more than 275 years.
We were established by Thomas Coram as the Foundling Hospital, London’s first home for babies whose mothers were unable to care for them.
When Captain Coram returned from sea in 1720 he was shocked to see children abandoned or dying on London’s streets. The only option for women who had children born out of wedlock with no means to support them was to be placed in a parish poorhouse, with high mortality rates. Thomas Coram began a campaign to create a home for these babies, overcoming widespread prejudice about children born outside of marriage, by enlisting the support of leading members of the aristocracy, the City, the arts and the sciences though a series of petitions. Early supporters of the captain's endeavours included the composer George Frideric Handel, the artist William Hogarth and author Charles Dickens.