HISTORICAL ENQUIRIES

Historical Records   |   Adoption Records   |   Highbury House Babies records   |   Records after 1982   |   Ravenswood Records

This page explains the process for accessing archived material, adoption-related information, and social work records, and highlights any legal or data-protection requirements.

Please read the relevant section carefully.

Historical records

In June 2020 Norwood deposited all materials regarding historical records to the University of Southampton.

Norwood’s historical archive, covering the period from 1821 to 1982, including records relating to the orphanage and Norwood Homes for Jewish Children, is held by the University of Southampton Special Collections.

Researchers and family historians seeking access to these records should contact the archives directly with as much detail as possible about the specific material you are looking for.

Adoption Records

Norwood no longer operates as an adoption agency and does not retain any adoption records. All adoption files previously held by Norwood were transferred to the London Borough of Harrow.

If your enquiry relates to an adoption for which Norwood acted as the agency, please direct your request to the appropriate organisation listed below, who will be able to advise you on the next steps and any information that may be available.

Highbury House Babies records

Norwood often receives adoption requests; however, Norwood was not an adoption service before 1998 so we do not have any adoption records before this date. However, in the late 1950s-1980s Norwood provided a number of social work services – this was a direct result of Norwood’s merger with the Jewish Board of Guardians in 1963.

From this merger the Board of Guardians transferred the responsibility of all its children’s welfare services to Norwood. Therefore, in the 1960s Norwood was the official body responsible for providing welfare services to the Jewish community, especially children and young adults. The Board of Guardians was still involved but only from an administrative perspective. During this period Norwood managed the Highbury House Babies Home and a Hostel for Unmarried Mothers.

Norwood never managed adoptions but did care for the mothers who came to the home. Some mothers would give their babies up for adoption and as the organisation that ran the home, Norwood was involved in arranging for the baby to be adopted through the necessary channels. ‘The Welfare Girls Committee was the body responsible for overseeing and providing welfare services to girls and young women who sought their support

Where are the records kept?

Norwood still has numerous case files at our off-site storage site from this period which contain a lot of information about the children at the Orphanage and the individuals that Norwood helped in the community. So, we will review requests about records from this period. A preliminary search of the case files will be carried out and we ask you to please complete a Subject Access Request form.

However, the only records Norwood have are the Highbury House Babies Home registers and the subsumed services are mentioned in our committee minutes. These records are now part of the collection of papers transferred to the University of Southampton so please also forward your query on to them. Southampton now has all the Highbury House Babies Home records and will have more information about pupils in the committee minutes and admission registers.

Records after 1982

For requests relating to records created after 1982, please contact Norwood directly, as access to this information may require a formal Subject Access Request under data protection legislation.

Ravenswood records

For enquiries relating to Ravenswood records created before 1996, please contact the Berkshire Record Office, who hold the relevant archive material.