SCHOOLCHILDREN in Kent have honoured the memory of abandoned Georgian-era children with handcrafted tokens in an exhibition at Quebec House in Westerham.

Known as the birthplace of General James Wolfe, Quebec House has recently reopened its newly refurbished Coach House, where the exhibition “The Story of the Westerham Foundlings” is on throughout this year.

The exhibition explores the lives of some of the 469 children who resided at Westerham’s Wellstreet branch of the London Foundling Hospital between 1760 and 1769. On display are small objects, written notes and pieces of fabric that mothers left with their children as a way of identifying them, should they ever return to reclaim them.

National Trust/Nick HawkesNational Trust/Nick Hawkes

Local school children have also created contemporary tokens in tribute to the foundlings. The exhibition was developed in partnership with children’s charity Coram.

In 1739, Thomas Coram established the Foundling Hospital, an institution in the UK that was dedicated to the “education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children”. As demand grew, hospitals were opened outside of London, and in 1760, the Westerham branch opened at Wellstreet.

The chief executive of Coram, Carol Homden, said that she was delighted to continue the collaboration with Quebec House. “This important exhibition will offer visitors the chance to discover the little-known history of the Foundling Hospital in Westerham.

“We are especially pleased to celebrate the creativity of local Kent schoolchildren, who have engaged so thoughtfully with the experiences of the children who grew up there and have brought this rich history in their local area to life by handcrafting their own tokens,” she said.