Central Library Exhibition
Central Library Exhibition marks 135 years of Nugent
Nugent’s 135 years – An exhibition of archive material.
In partnership with The Sheppard-Worlock Library at Liverpool Hope University and Liverpool Central Library Archive.
Tuesday 22 Nov 2016 – Wed 16 Jan 2017
3rd floor Liverpool Central Library, William Brown Street, Liverpool
The origins of Nugent date back to the 1800’s and the pioneering work of Monsignor James Nugent, (1822-1905) in relation to child welfare, relief from poverty and social reform. Father Nugent witnessed first-hand the suffering caused by poverty and appalling conditions and took action by founding The Liverpool Catholic Children’s Protection Society In 1881 with Bishop O’Reilly.
This 135th commemorative exhibition aims to highlight the work begun by Father Nugent by showcasing material from the archive held at Liverpool Hope University, together with the institutional records held by Liverpool Central Library and items from Nugent’s archive highlighting the development of the organisation from the 1970’s to the work of Nugent today.
The archive at Liverpool Hope University contains 26 books and 264 items in total, including; Father Nugent’s letters written during his time as Chaplain of Walton Gaol and as co-founder of the Liverpool Catholic Children’s Protection Society, and Father Nugent’s successor, Monsignor Bennett’s correspondence letters covering subjects such as child welfare, juvenile delinquency, child psychology, and the end of child emigration to Canada.
Liverpool Record Office host an extensive Nugent archive consisting of nearly 300 items covering 22 different organisations in Liverpool and includes 2,500 files of children who emigrated to Canada under the auspices of the Liverpool Catholic Emigration Association. The Nugent collection tells the story of children in various institutions, including industrial schools, reformatory ships and orphanages.
The Nugent Archive is available to view, by appointment, at Liverpool Record Office.
