Camden in Greater London, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)

Thomas Coram

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 12, 2017

1. Thomas Coram Marker

Inscription. THOMAS CORAM was born at Lyme Regis, Dorset in 1668. He became a Captain in the Merchant Navy trading between England and America. For several years he lived in America as a Shipwright gaining a great reputation as an expert on all matters concerning the Colonies. As a staunch Churchman he realised the importance of the spiritual needs of the settlers and left land in trust for the building of a church in Taunton, Massachusetts. He became a Younger Brother of Trinity House and a trustee of the Colony of Georgia and settled in London in 1720. Here in 1739, he established the Foundling Hospital for which a Royal Charter was obtained. He died in 1751 and his body now rests in the Church of St. Andrew, Holborn. The great pioneer work by Captain Coram is now carried on under the name of the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children. This statue was erected by the Governors in 1963

Erected 1963 by Governors of the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Churches & Religion • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1668.

Location. 51° 31.509′ N, 0° 7.289′ W. Marker is in Camden, England, in Greater London. Marker can be reached from Brunswick

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Square just east of Hunter Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 40 Brunswick Square, Camden, England WC1N 1AZ, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Bloomsbury Group (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to Brunswick Square Gardens (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); Stella & Fanny (about 120 meters away); Hilda Doolittle (about 180 meters away); Sir James Matthew Barrie (about 180 meters away); Horizon Magazine (about 180 meters away); Welcome to the Marchmont Community Garden (approx. 0.2 kilometers away); William Reeve (approx. 0.2 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Camden.

Also see . . .
1. Thomas Coram (Wikipedia). (Submitted on January 1, 2018.)
2. Foundling Hospital (Wikipedia). "The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1739 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply indicating the institution's "hospitality" to those less fortunate. Nevertheless, one of the top priorities of the committee at the Foundling Hospital was children's health, as they combated smallpox, fevers,

Thomas Coram Marker - Wide View image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 12, 2017

2. Thomas Coram Marker - Wide View

The marker is mounted to the back of the plinth for the statue of Thomas Coram that is located in the courtyard of the Foundling Hospital Museum.

consumption, dysentery and even infections from everyday activities like teething that drove up mortality rates and risked epidemics." (Submitted on January 1, 2018.)

Thomas Coram Statue image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 12, 2017

3. Thomas Coram Statue

"Captain Thomas Coram (c. 1668 – 29 March 1751) was a philanthropist who created the London Foundling Hospital in Lamb's Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury to look after abandoned children. It is said to be the world's first incorporated charity." - Wikipedia

(See next photo, Portrait of Captain Thomas Coram, for the likely source of inspiration for this statue.)

<i>Portrait of Captain Thomas Coram</i> image. Click for full size.

William Hogarth (image via Wikimedia Commons), 1740

4. Portrait of Captain Thomas Coram

"Portrait of Captain Thomas Coram is a 1740 portrait of philanthropist Thomas Coram painted by William Hogarth. The portrait, which represents Hogarth’s highest achievement in direct portraiture, was not created as a commission and was instead donated to Coram's Foundling Hospital. The portrait is divided into two sections: The left side represents Coram's sea ventures, a major source of his wealth. The right side shows a curtain pulled over a mother figure with a child." - Wikipedia

Little Mitten image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 12, 2017

5. Little Mitten

Attached to the fencing just behind the Thomas Coram statue (and barely visible also in Photo 3, on the left), is a tiny mitten sculpture, by noted artist Tracy Emin, put there, as the nearby sign in Brunswick Square indicates, to reflect "the tokens that mothers left with their children when they handed them over to the care of the Foundling Hospital".

Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 379 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 1, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.