Volume 33: The First Clewer House of Mercy Penitents’ Roll Book, 1848-1882

Description

VOL 33 House of Mercy CoverClewer House of Mercy was a place of refuge for women from prostitution and sexual exploitation – the ‘fallen’ women of their generation. This study reveals women’s history generally, the history of prostitution, the life experiences of female servants, and the Anglo-Catholic movement of the mid-19th century, especially the role of Anglican Sisterhoods. Although some research has been carried out on such institutions, and on their controversial Catholic equivalents (the Magdalene Laundries) in Ireland, this is believed to be the first edition of a register of ‘penitents’.

The penitents’ roll books provide a wealth of information about the backgrounds of the women admitted: their geographical origins, age, former occupation, family background, and literacy. They also show how long each woman stayed and her destination on leaving The House of Mercy closed in 1954. The building was sold in 2001 although the community was not dissolved until 2020.