ABSTRACT
IT has already been shown in Chapter 1 that, apart from the work undertaken by religious communities and, later, the Church Army, most nineteenth century moral welfare work was localised. Many of the early homes were quite small ventures, started by groups of people who were desirous of rescuing their ‘fallen’ sisters or sheltering friendless girls in their own particular area, and who formed associations of one kind or another to further these schemes. It was not until the closing years of the last century that dioceses began to appoint organising secretaries to coordinate the work of local associations, develop new work and integrate these sporadic manifestations of Christian charity into the accepted patterns of church organisation.
