A Ragged School Union dinner, Camberwell, London, c1901 (1901). Ragged Schools were developed by John Pounds, a Portsmouth shoemaker, who in 1818 provided a free school for the poorest children. In 1844, Lord Shaftesbury formed the Ragged School Union which established over 200 free schools to combine resources throughout the country, providing free education, food, clothing, lodging and a religious education for the children. From Living London, Vol. 1, edited by George R. Sims. [Cassell and Company, Limited, London, Paris, New York & Melbourne, 1901]