The Story of the Orphan Homes, Leominster: limited edition hardback

Henry Stanley Newman

A charming facsimile of an 1883 account of the Orphan Homes in Leominster, published in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Orphans Press.

“What a beautiful word is that word Home! Home is not a place where we go to live for two or three days, but it is the spot where our affections are centred, and where those nearest and dearest to us reside”

-Henry Stanley Newman

When Quaker philanthropist Henry Stanley Newman first opened the Orphan Homes in 1869, his aims were to provide a comfortable and supportive environment in the countryside for those who had lost their parents. Starting a new life in rural Herefordshire, the children had access to education, training and religious teachings for perhaps the first time.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Orphans Press, which was founded to provide support for the Home, we’ve created a limited-edition facsimile of the original book, first published in 1883 and featuring custom-designed, heritage-inspired endpapers and a gold-foiled dust jacket.

Perfect for fans of local and religious history, the book documents the daily life of the orphans from picking apples from the orchard for their pudding, to vivid descriptions of the wildlife surrounding them (much of which no longer exists today) and the lives they went on to after leaving the Homes.

About Henry Stanley Newman

A prominent quaker and philanthropist who was modest about his good works, Henry Stanley Newman is one of history’s unsung heroes.

Henry Stanley spent his adult life in the rural town of Leominster, Herefordshire. His dedication to good causes made him a pillar for the Quaker community at home and abroad. Alongside founding the Orphan Homes, he was a dedicated teacher at the First Day School in the town, an active campaigner for the anti-slavery movement, and spent time in later life on missions to promote the Quaker faith in far-flung corners of the world.

He edited Quaker magazine The Friend, one of the oldest continuously published magazines in the world, from 1892 until his death in 1912.