'Religious Disputes and the Custody of Children: Dr Barnardo in the House of Lords'

Speaker: Professor Michael Lobban FBA, Professor of Legal History at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

In the 19th century, disputes over the custody of children often centred on disagreements over the religious upbringing of the child in question and whether the child should be educated in the faith of its deceased father. In the 1890s, Dr Thomas Barnardo, famous for the homes for destitute and orphaned children he had founded in the East End of London, became involved in several of bitter custody cases with strong sectarian overtones. The fiercely evangelical Dr Barnardo resisted attempts by Catholic agencies acting on behalf of Catholic mothers to gain custody of children in his homes through the writ of habeas corpus.

The talk will focus especially on two landmark cases involving Barnardo which reached the House of Lords in this decade.

In person and livestreamed from The Inner Temple, London

Lecture: 6pm - 7pm (GMT+1)

Reception: 7pm - 8pm

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The livestream YouTube link will be sent out after 3pm on 7 May.

Past Lectures are available on www.innertemple.org.uk/historylectures

Cancel by: 30/04/2025

Please note: cancellations made after this may not be refunded.