Metropolitan Association for Befriending Young Servants
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Association for Befriending Young Servants (MABYS) was a voluntary organisation of middle- and upper-class women, founded by Jane Nassau Senior
, Britain's first female civil servant, and social reformer Henrietta Barnett in 1875. It aimed to support poor young women and girls in London
, prevent girls from becoming prostitutes, criminals
or alcoholics
, and provide a steady supply of domestic servants.
The Poor Law
had led to large numbers of children being taken from their families by the authorities and raised in workhouse
s and Poor Law schools. Children were discharged from these institutions at age 14 to survive as best they could; this practice led to severe social problems, as unqualified children turned to crime and prostitution. Until the formation of MABYS, the only formal support given to those discharged from workhouses was the offer of subsidised transport to Canada
or Australia
.
MABYS aimed to monitor and support girls discharged from residential institutions, in an effort to find them employment as domestic servants and discourage them from becoming prostitutes or alcoholics. MABYS volunteers would visit and befriend girls discharged from Poor Law care, providing advice and assistance with finding housing and new employment where necessary. By the 1880s MABYS had 25 branch offices and 17 associated care homes, and by the 1890s MABYS had over 1,000 volunteers, and was processing applications for employment from over 7,000 girls per year, of whom over 5,000 per year were successfully placed, around 25% of whom came from London's Poor Law schools.
MABYS strongly discouraged contact between girls in their care and their relatives, amid concerns that children would acquire bad habits from their families, or become unsettled by relatives, who would often attempt to remove the children. Jane Nassau Senior, with the support of Thomas John Barnardo
, had lobbied for MABYS, and similar bodies, to be automatically made guardians until the age of 20 for any child who had been in Poor Law care for over five years.
MABYS grew rapidly. In 1887 the Association opened a residential training centre for feeble-minded
girls, aiming to find them appropriate employment, and by 1896 the Association was operating lodging-houses and training centres for unemployed women, and had expanded its remit to cover girls coming to London in search of work and girls from industrial schools.
Following social changes in the wake of the First World War MABYS went into decline, although it formally remained in existence until at least 1940. In 1948 the National Assistance Act
abolished the Poor Law, and responsibility for education and training was brought under the control of the state.
Jane Senior
Jane Nassau Senior was Britain's first female civil servant,, and co-founder of the Metropolitan Association for Befriending Young Servants ....
, Britain's first female civil servant, and social reformer Henrietta Barnett in 1875. It aimed to support poor young women and girls in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, prevent girls from becoming prostitutes, criminals
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
or alcoholics
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, and provide a steady supply of domestic servants.
The Poor Law
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
had led to large numbers of children being taken from their families by the authorities and raised in workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
s and Poor Law schools. Children were discharged from these institutions at age 14 to survive as best they could; this practice led to severe social problems, as unqualified children turned to crime and prostitution. Until the formation of MABYS, the only formal support given to those discharged from workhouses was the offer of subsidised transport to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
or Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
MABYS aimed to monitor and support girls discharged from residential institutions, in an effort to find them employment as domestic servants and discourage them from becoming prostitutes or alcoholics. MABYS volunteers would visit and befriend girls discharged from Poor Law care, providing advice and assistance with finding housing and new employment where necessary. By the 1880s MABYS had 25 branch offices and 17 associated care homes, and by the 1890s MABYS had over 1,000 volunteers, and was processing applications for employment from over 7,000 girls per year, of whom over 5,000 per year were successfully placed, around 25% of whom came from London's Poor Law schools.
MABYS strongly discouraged contact between girls in their care and their relatives, amid concerns that children would acquire bad habits from their families, or become unsettled by relatives, who would often attempt to remove the children. Jane Nassau Senior, with the support of Thomas John Barnardo
Thomas John Barnardo
Thomas John Barnardo was a philanthropist and founder and director of homes for poor children, born in Dublin. From the foundation of the first Barnardo's home in 1870 to the date of Barnardo’s death, nearly 100,000 children had been rescued, trained and given a better life.- Early life :Barnardo...
, had lobbied for MABYS, and similar bodies, to be automatically made guardians until the age of 20 for any child who had been in Poor Law care for over five years.
MABYS grew rapidly. In 1887 the Association opened a residential training centre for feeble-minded
Feeble-minded
The term feeble-minded was used from the late nineteenth century in Great Britain, Europe and the United States to refer to a specific type of "mental deficiency". At the time, mental deficiency was an umbrella term, which encompassed all degrees of educational and social deficiency...
girls, aiming to find them appropriate employment, and by 1896 the Association was operating lodging-houses and training centres for unemployed women, and had expanded its remit to cover girls coming to London in search of work and girls from industrial schools.
Following social changes in the wake of the First World War MABYS went into decline, although it formally remained in existence until at least 1940. In 1948 the National Assistance Act
National Assistance Act 1948
The National Assistance Act 1948 was an Act of Parliament passed in the United Kingdom by the Labour government of Clement Attlee.-Overview:It formally abolished the Poor Law system which had existed since the reign of Elizabeth I, and established a social safety-net for those who didn’t pay...
abolished the Poor Law, and responsibility for education and training was brought under the control of the state.