Daughters Of Charity Of St Vincent De Paul Buried Children In Unmarked Plots

[Abroad]

The bodies of hundreds of children are believed to be buried in a mass grave in Lanarkshire, southern Scotland, according to an investigation by BBC News.

The children were all residents of a care home run by Catholic nuns.

At least 400 children are thought to be buried in a section of St Mary's Cemetery in Lanark.

The Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, which ran the home, refused to comment on the findings.

The research by the File on 4 programme in conjunction with the Sunday Post newspaper focused on Smyllum Park Orphanage in Lanark.

It opened in 1864 and provided care for orphans or children from broken homes. It closed in 1981, having looked after 11,600 children.

A burial plot, containing the bodies of a number of children, was uncovered by two former residents of Smyllum in 2003.

The death records indicate that most of the children died of natural causes, from diseases common at the time such as TB, pneumonia and pleurisy.

Analysis of the records show that a third of those who died were aged five or under. Very few of those who died, 24 in total, were aged over 15, and most of the deaths occurred between 1870 and 1930.

One of those believed to be buried there is Francis McColl. He died in 1961, aged 13; his death certificate indicates he died from a brain haemorrhage.

His brother Eddie spent decades wondering what had happened to Francis. At one point, he heard he'd been struck on the head by a golf club, which now chimes with the evidence of the death certificate.

But Eddie could find no trace of where his brother had been buried.

"It's ridiculous," he says. "I'm not happy about that. Whoever is behind this, I hope they can live with themselves."

Many allegations of abuse at the care home were also uncovered by File on 4 and the Sunday Post, including beatings, punches, public humiliations and psychological abuse.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41200949

 

[Prettypink513]

I'm not surprised. Orphanages and mental hospitals back then were inhumane

 

[cubby]

I agree and the worst of the worst were the ones run by christian charities staffed by Nuns.

 

[Keepalowprofile]

Im dad that those kids had no one.

All these years and only one person questioning where their loved one is.

 

[Just Rose]

Well I was raised with this same group of Nuns but in Calif. Maryvale and they saved me from my living hell .
So I am gonna stick up for them of course but 1800 to 1930 was completely different era then mine and of course in the USA
But I can tell you some of the girls that came in there few they were but messed up really bad I mean things done to them before the orhange.. I could tell you story's
But the nuns didn't beat them or anything like that, they were sent to another place
I have no idea where. I always wonder if I have come across them here as the murderers here on this site ?? If I could only remember their full names
Anyway not all of them are bad OK
The teaching of god has made a mark on me that Ive had to change .but I was well cared for and as for the others I can speak for them I was there 8 yrs saw lots come and go