Janet Wallis

Janet Sophia Wallis born Janet Sophia McCall aka Mrs Ransome Wallis (13 June 1858 – 14 February 1928) was a British philanthropist and the founder of the Mission of Hope in Croydon. Children of unmarried mothers were offered for adoption both in Croydon and in Canada. The organisation operated the Hurst House Training Home in South Croydon to train girls and boys and the Haven for Homeless Little Ones.

Life Wallis was born in Walthamstow in 1858. She appears to have always been religious. As a girl she was called "Saint Janet" by other children. After she married Ransome Wallis she would occupy her time in organising and attending religious meetings.

After she lost her own baby and another of her children became ill, she was moved to help others. She wanted to create a mother and child home where babies could be cared for. The home was soon arranging adoptions. Usually charities would only take in the first child of unmarried mothers but Wallis realised that a second child still deserved care. The matron there would take in unmarried mothers and they had to keep to strict rules. Church attendance was expected.

In 1907 her charity first sent children to Canada. The first group was sent in the care of the Reverend Robert Hall and he took the children to Toronto where they stayed until they were adopted. They later sent children to Ontario. This emigration of orphans continued until the first world war. In 1913 her organisation was publishing an "Honour Roll" of the children who were now in Canada and were paying back the cost of their own emigration.

During the first world war demand was high for her charity's services. Her own daughter had joined to help in 1913 and the pair of them had to manage the debts that were created. The charity was running in the 1920s when her husband would assist by leading scripture classes. He died in 1927 and Wallis died in Croydon in the following year.