About the object
This bible was inscribed by Thomas Coram for his female relative, Spes Corham. The Museum also holds another which was given to his godson, Thomas Corham. Thomas Coram, whose seventeen-year campaign led to the establishment of the Foundling Hospital, was a convinced Anglican. The London Hospital, however, unlike the equivalent Catholic institutions in other European countries, was not organised or strongly influenced by the Church. Although it was not a religious foundation, religion was nevertheless an important part of life in the institution. All of the children admitted to the Hospital were baptised into the Church of England, no matter the religious beliefs of their birth parents. Some parents in the eighteenth century left tokens with children which clearly indicate that they were Catholic. During their education the children attended daily services in the Hospital’s chapel.
