St Mary’s Home / Laundry was built by the Good Shepherd Sisters in the grounds of Bellevue House on the Dungiven Road in the Waterside area of the city in 1920 and opened in early 1921. Between 1922 and the last recorded entry in 1979, it appears that 992 women and girls entered St Mary’s Home / Laundry. The highest number of entrants was recorded in the 1930's, a total of 252, and the highest number of entrants in any one year was 32 in 1941. This was at a point when the Laundry was experiencing high demand for its services due to the military contracts that increased its profitability. Numbers of new entrants declined slowly in the 1950's and 1960's before dropping sharply in the 1970's. The Laundry closed in 1984.

What Records Exist and What Do They Contain?

The records for the St Mary’s Home / Laundry in Derry-Londonderry comprise a series of hand-written notebooks which serve as a register of entries and exits for the women and girls who worked in the laundry between 1922 and 1982. 

There is a separate collection of notes and correspondence containing commentary on some of the women admitted to the laundry, and this material includes a small number of letters to and from the Good Shepherd Sisters and some of the women and girls. 

The records also contain some correspondence with the statutory agencies responsible for placing women and girls in the laundry. 

To What Period Do the Records Relate?

The records for St Mary’s Home / Laundry, Derry-Londonderry cover the period 1922-1982.

Who Is the Controller of the Records?

The records are controlled by the Good Shepherd Sisters but under a data processing agreement, applications for access to records are processed by Family Care Adoption Services.

How Best Can the Records Be Accessed?

Personal Records

Personal records relating to St Mary’s Home / Laundry, Derry-Londonderry, can be accessed by submitting a Subject Access Request for information under the UK GDPR. 

A formal Data Processing Agreement and process for access is currently in place between the Good Shepherd Sisters and Family Care Adoption Services. For details of how to make such an application please refer to the guidance on our Accessing Records and Your Rights page.

Contacting Family Care Adoption Services

It is recommended that all communication with Family Care Adoption Services should be in writing and copies of correspondence should be kept. The responsible person is Ms Maggie McSorley, CEO.

The contact details for Family Care Adoption Services are as follows: 

Ms Maggie McSorley,

Family Care Adoption Services
50 Knockbreda Road
Belfast
BT6 0JB

Email: email@familycareadoption.org