Hannah Aldworth | |
|---|---|
 Hannah Aldworth. Artist unknown. Photograph courtesy of St Nicolas Newbury PCC & Foundling Museum. | |
| Died | 1778 |
| Known for | Philanthropy |
Hannah Aldworth (died 1778) was an English philanthropist and inspector in charge of supervising the care of foundling children in the Newbury area of Berkshire for the Foundling Hospital in London.
Aldworth was one of the daughters of Samuel Slocock, a prosperous brewer in the Newbury area. [1]
From around 1759 to 1768 Aldworth supervised the care of children by nurses in her local area as an inspector, a voluntary yet important role to the Foundling Hospital's operation and the expansion of care for foundling children in the eighteenth century. [2] A married woman named Naomi Southby, thought to be Hannah's sister, [3] seems also to have been an inspector, a connection which reflects the shared role of women inspectors amidst familial and social networks. [4]
Kathleen Palmer asserts that the involvement of women like Aldworth "in the business of an organisation with national reach, on equal terms with their male counterparts, was unprecedented". [2]
Aldworth's will indicates that she left £800 to endow parish almshouses. [5] [6] She died "greatly and deservedly respected". [7]
Aldworth's portrait now hangs in the St Nicolas Church in Newbury. [8]
Berkshire is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berkshire in 1957 because of the presence of Windsor Castle, and letters patent were issued in 1974. Berkshire is a county of historic origin, a ceremonial county and a non-metropolitan county without a county council. The county town is Reading.
Newbury is a market town in the county of Berkshire, England, and is home to the administrative headquarters of West Berkshire Council. The town centre around its large market square retains a rare medieval Cloth Hall, an adjoining half timbered granary, and the 15th-century St Nicolas Church, along with 17th- and 18th-century listed buildings. As well as being home to Newbury Racecourse, it is the headquarters of Vodafone and software company Micro Focus International. In the valley of the River Kennet, 26 mi (42 km) south of Oxford, 25 mi (40 km) north of Winchester, 27 mi (43 km) southeast of Swindon and 20 mi (32 km) west of Reading.
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