Saving the Children of Shoreditch: Lady Cynthia Colville and Needy Families in East London, c.1900-1960

Abstract

This article approaches the question of the ‘child at risk’ through the case of an elite individual who became involved in infant welfare and the juvenile courts: Lady Cynthia Colville. Colville entered into voluntary social work as an activity ‘appropriate’ for a woman of her standing. With her appointment as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Mary, the already very well-connected Colville had unrivalled access to the Royal Household for promoting the interests of her charities. The case of Colville provides a point of intersection for the historiographies on gender, class, welfare, and crime, and fresh insight into the relationship between ‘innovation’ in social work and the established social order.