William Quarrier

Born in Greenock on September 29, 1829, William Quarrier lost his father while still very young and grew up in difficult circumstances after his family moved to Glasgow. He started work as a child, eventually training as a shoemaker and later becoming a successful shoe retailer.

Quarrier is best remembered as the founder of the Orphan Homes of Scotland in Renfrewshire, a project that grew from his concern for homeless and destitute children. His work developed into a large village-style community rather than a single institution, and that effort later evolved into the social care charity now known as Quarriers.

He died on October 16, 1903. Quarrier’s story still stands out because it combines lived experience of poverty, religious conviction, and determined philanthropy in a way that left a lasting mark on Scottish social care.