Dr Kate Gibson investigates the stories of children cared for in Scotland’s first national institution for vulnerable children.

Buried deep under what is now Waverley Station, lie the remains of a building that housed hundreds of children in need of care. The records of the Edinburgh Orphan Hospital provide a fascinating insight into the lives of labouring and poor families in 18th- and 19th-century Scotland.

In this 45-minute Zoom talk, historian Dr Kate Gibson reveals the history of the Edinburgh Orphan Hospital, set up in the 18th century to care for vulnerable children and shape them into ‘good citizens’.