Published by Primary Source Microfilm

This collection is comprised of the archives of three great social investigative and reforming bodies of the late 19th century. The Ragged School Union and the Shaftesbury Society uncovered the "dark side" of Victorian Society, pointed out government negligence and acted to bring about change, both through political force and private philanthropy. Their minutes are included here, along with a rare collection of the Ragged School Union Magazine, which sought to shock with clinically accurate descriptions of squalor and poverty.

Eyewitness reports, providing crucial raw data and statistical analysis, make this collection especially valuable as a research tool. The third group, The Charity Organization Society, also worked to right immense wrongs, and the Society's breadth of interest is reflected in its journals. Also included are reports and analyses of housing and labor conditions, child welfare, local government reform all across Britain, articles from the leading reform figures of the day and many more valuable documents.

Series One: Archives of the Shaftesbury Society

Part One: Minutes of the Ragged School Union and the Shaftesbury Society, 1844-1944
8 reels

Part Two: The Ragged School Union Magazine and Continuations, 1849-1875
122 fiche

Part Three: The Ragged School Union Magazine and Continuations, 1876-1907
97 fiche

Series Two: Archives of the Charity Organization Society, 1869-1938

Part One: Charity Organization Reporter, 1872-1884; Charity Organization Review, 1885-1921; and Charity Organization Quarterly, 1921-1938
16 reels

Complete Collection: 24 reels, 219 fiche