The Foundling Hospital Matrons
The Hospital employed many women as resident staff, the most important of which was the Matron. From the 18th century onward, Matrons organised and managed the female servants, purchased food and clothing, kept accounts of supplies, and generally saw after the safety, physical well-being, and proper nourishment of every child. These women spent virtually all their time inside the Hospital and had to devote themselves entirely to the role. They were always on call and had no set working hours. Therefore, Governors only appointed Christian, unmarried, and childless women as Matrons, women under the age of fifty without families of their own.
One of the primary responsibilities of the Matron was to supervise Foundling girls. The Foundling Hospital By-Laws of 1856 state that a Matron’s duty is to educate and train the minds of the girls ‘in such a manner as will make them intelligent, obedient, and teachable servants when they leave the walls’ (By-Laws, 21). Matrons lived in the East Wing of the Hospital, where the girls were housed. Foundling boys lived in the West Wing, jointly supervised by their schoolmaster and drillmaster. During meals, boys and girls sat separately. The matron would use her mallet to call for silence in the Dining Room, as talking was not permitted during mealtimes.
This George IV period rosewood card table was taken from the Matron’s Hospital office sometime during the 19th century. This table features a rounded fold-over top, as well as four ornately carved paw feet. Matrons used the office parlour to dine with and entertain guests. We can imagine these formidable women drinking tea, playing cards, and regaling guests with stories of Hospital life while sitting around this table.
One such woman was Hannah Ley Johnson (1760-1822), who became a Matron in 1793, when she was 33 years old. During her 25-year tenure, Johnson became known for her capable, motherly, and generous nature. She managed the Hospital safely through the Napoleonic War years, when prices of supplies were high and food shortages were rampant. Johnson was generous in supporting the staff under her, advocating for pay raises for her Ward Mistresses in addition to negotiating her own pay rise. Johnson was replaced in the post in 1818. She stayed on living at the Hospital, however, and continued to receive her full salary until her death four years later. A monument to Hannah Johnson is now in the chapel crypt at the Berkhamsted site, today the Ashlyns School in Hertfordshire.