Les Archives départementales conservent les dossiers individuels des pupilles de l'Assistance, de l'Etat et assimilés.
Sous l'Antiquité, la décision de mise à l'écart d'un bébé appartient au père. A Rome, le père de famille a droit de vie et de mort sur son enfant. L'ordre d'abandon est donné par le père mais l'exécution est laissée à la mère, qui se contente d'exposer l'enfant, le plus souvent, de manière à le sauver.
En France, l'exposition des enfants aux portes des églises remonte au IVème siècle. Le premier asile pour enfants fut fondé par l'évêque d'Angers au VIIème siècle. L'assistance relève presque exclusivement de la charité de l'Eglise et de quelques personnes privées. En ces temps-là, on ne reconnaît pas aux parents le droit d'abandonner leur enfant, ni aux femmes celui d'avorter. Les crieurs publics annoncent donc la découverte de tout enfant, avec promesse de récompense aux délateurs. L'exposition d'enfants est sévèrement punie et si la mort survient, les auteurs peuvent être conduits au bûcher. Un enfant né hors mariage est par ailleurs considéré comme un défi aux institutions religieuses et sociales. Sa naissance étant considérée comme un péché mortel, les mères tentent de faire disparaître l'objet de leur honte en pratiquant l'infanticide. Infanticides et avortements s'étant multipliés, l'édit du roi Henri II "sur le recelé de grossesse et d'accouchement" enregistré le 4 mars 1556, s'attache à prévenir les infanticides. Il est obligatoire à toute fille, femme veuve ou dont le mari est absent depuis longtemps de déclarer leur grossesse dès le moment où elles ont connaissance de celle-ci. En cas de non-déclaration, la présomption d'homicide est automatiquement retenue contre la mère si elle vient à avorter ou si l'enfant décède à la naissance. La peine encourue est l'étranglement ou la pendaison. En 1638, saint Vincent de Paul, avec l'assistance de Louise de Marillac et de ses Filles de la Charité met en place une structure "La maison des Couches" pour les enfants trouvés. Installée sur le parvis de Notre-Dame, elle reçoit les nouveau-nés et les enfants en bas âge. En 1670, cette oeuvre est officialisée par un édit royal unissant l'hospice des enfants trouvés à l'hospice général. A la Révolution, la Nation se doit d'accueillir et d'élever les enfants abandonnés. On espère supprimer les causes d'abandon en organisant l'aide aux mères célibataires et on souhaite mieux intégrer les enfants illégitimes dans la nouvelle société. La loi du 28 juin 1793 mentionne que la Nation se charge de l'éducation physique et morale des enfants abandonnés. Ils sont déclarés orphelins avant d'être "enfants naturels de la patrie" et les juges de paix reçoivent pour tâche de dresser des procès-verbaux d'abandon destinés à être transcrits sur les registres des actes de naissance. De même, l'officier d'état civil doit inscrire sur son registre le procès-verbal détaillé des circonstances, des effets trouvés avec l'enfant, son âge apparent, son sexe et enfin les noms qui lui sont donnés. Le Service des Enfants assistés s'organise réellement dès 1811. On entend par "enfants assistés", les enfants abandonnés, trouvés ou délaissés par faute de moyens, les orphelins et ceux dont les parents sont détenus ou malades. Le décret du 19 janvier 1811, systématisant l'emploi des tours (en principe, un par chef-lieu d'arrondissement) encourage les dépôts anonymes et fait indirectement augmenter le nombre des abandons. Le tour est un cylindre installé dans la muraille de l'hospice et qui pivote sur un axe. Un côté du cylindre est ouvert. Une cloche extérieure, placée à côté, permet à qui y dépose un bébé, d'avertir la garde. Cette dernière, appelée la soeur tourière, manoeuvre alors le tour et récupère l'enfant. En 1830, on compte près de 250 tours dans toute la France et 130 000 enfants (trouvés, abandonnés, orphelins) sont admis à la charge des hospices français. Beaucoup de ces nourrissons et enfants sont envoyés à la campagne dans des familles nourricières. Les tours disparaissent peu à peu - pour être supprimés par la loi du 27 juin 1904 - remplacés par un bureau des abandons dans chaque département. L'Assistance publique est créée en 1849. Elle doit non seulement faire acte d'assistance par l'attribution de secours matériels et de soins médicaux mais également exercer une action de tutelle. Cette action s'exerce sur les enfants pupilles, c'est à dire les mineurs qui sont sous la responsabilité de l'Etat. La protection des enfants du premier âge est organisée par deux lois, de 1874 et 1877, stipulant que, dans chaque département, le préfet, assisté d'un comité, dirige le Service des Enfants assistés. Cette direction consiste à faire surveiller les enfants placés en nourrice par des médecins. Les registres de placements sont tenus par les secrétaires de mairie. La loi du 27 juin 1904 regroupe les enfants assistés en deux grandes catégories:
*les enfants sous la protection publique, c'est à dire les enfants secourus (enfant dont la mère n'a pas les ressources nécessaires pour l'élever), les enfants en dépôt (enfants laissés sans protection par suite de l'hospitalisation ou de la détention de leurs pères et mères recueillis temporairement dans le service des enfants assistés) et les enfants en garde (enfants auteurs ou victimes de délits ; sorte d'admission en dépôt mais après intervention du tribunal) ;
*les enfants sous la tutelle de l'autorité publique, c'est à dire les enfants trouvés, les enfants abandonnés, les orphelins pauvres et les enfants moralement abandonnés (ce sont des enfants âgés de 12 à 16 ans vivant sans abri et sans secours). C'est cette catégorie d'enfants qui correspond aux pupilles de l'Assistance publique renommés pupilles de l'Etat en 1943. Le système d'admission de ces enfants se fait à bureau ouvert. Les déposants sont informés des secours dont ils peuvent bénéficier et les conséquences de l'abandon. La tutelle et la protection de ces enfants confiées, au début du XIXème siècle, aux commissions administratives hospitalières passent entre les mains des préfets aidés des conseils de famille émanants du Conseil Général. La loi de 1904 consacre cet état de fait.
L'accouchement sous le secret relevant du décret-loi du 2 septembre 1941 a pris sa forme actuelle sous le gouvernement de Pétain pour résoudre le problème d'enfants nés d'union de femmes françaises avec des soldats allemands. Il permet à ces femmes d'obtenir une aide gratuite de l'Etat, d'accoucher dans l'anonymat puis de confier leur enfant à l'adoption plénière.
La loi du 15 avril 1943 relative à l'assistance à l'enfance institue dans chaque département la création d'un ou plusieurs foyers de pupilles installés dans des locaux spécialement affectés à leur usage. L'article 22 de la loi spécifie que ces foyers de pupilles sont appelés de plus en plus à assurer le rôle de foyers de l'enfance. Il est décidé également que l'enfant ne serait immatriculé qu'après le délai d'un mois, délai pendant lequel la mère aurait la possibilité de reprendre son enfant.
Le décret du 24 janvier 1956 promulguant le Code de la Famille et de l'aide sociale consacre un chapitre spécial au service de l'aide sociale à l'enfance (ASE). En 1964, l'aide sociale à l'enfance est rattachée à la Direction régionale des Affaires sanitaires et sociales (DRASS) qui devient en 1977 la Direction départementale des Affaires sanitaires et sociales (DDASS) puis la Direction de l'action sociale de l'Enfance et de la Santé (DASES).
La loi de décentralisation du 22 juillet 1983, entrée en application au 1er janvier 1984 indique que l'Aide sociale à l'enfance, jusque là, animée par l'Etat, devient une compétence du département. C'est désormais le Président du Conseil départemental qui définit la politique départementale et qui prononce l'admission à toute forme d'aide sociale. Cependant, la tutelle des pupilles de l'Etat n'a pas été décentralisée. Il s'agit donc d'une mission partagée de suppléance familiale entre l'Etat et le département.
L'histoire de ces enfants pupilles de l'Assistance et de l'Etat est particulièrement riche et émouvante. Les dossiers de pupilles et assimilés sont la principale source pour la connaître. Ils font entrevoir la vie de ces enfants parfois aussi celle de leurs familles et renvoient également à l'histoire de notre société.
Au 31 décembre 2015, le rapport sur la situation des pupilles de l'Etat de l'Observatoire national de la protection de l'enfance (ONPE) mentionne que 2615 enfants ont le statut de pupille de l'Etat en France.
Rédacteur de la description
Marie-Hélène Giraud sous la direction d'Alice Motte et Marjolaine Perez
232 W (11 juin 1979), 263 W (1979), 1127 W ( juin 1984)
Les dossiers sont classés par année de naissance des enfants et par ordre alphabétique du nom de famille de l'intéressé.
L'accès aux archives publiques est régi par les lois et règlements en vigueur.
Le secret médical (120 ans à partir de la date de naissance ou 25 ans à compter de la date du décès) s'applique.
Archives départementales des Landes. Répertoire numérique de la série 3 X : Assistance sociale
Direction départementale des affaires sanitaires et sociales des Landes. Aide sociale à l'enfance
Archives départementales des Landes
Was this content helpful? Let Archives Portal Europe and the archival institution know what you think.
Feedback is sent directly to the institution holding this material and should preferably be submitted in English or in the language of the institution, if possible. The institution will aim at getting back to you as soon as possible to help you with your request, though you might need to allow between two and four weeks for this depending on the current workload at the institution.
Please select amongst the relevant tips we can help with. If you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
Starting your search here will include all content available in Archives Portal Europe. Simply enter your keyword(s) and hit the search button. Wrap fixed expressions in quotation marks, e.g. “French Revolution”. Check the box to “Search each term separately” in case you are looking for documents containing at least one word, but not necessarily all keywords; this will also allow you to search for the same term in multiple languages at the same time (e.g. “French Revolution” “Révolution Française”). You can also use wildcards - find more about Research Tools here. If you would like to use more specific settings, try our Advanced search
The additional advanced search options give you the possibility to focus your search in:
When searching with multiple terms at the same time, wrap fixed expressions in quotation marks (e.g. "French Revolution"), or check the box "Search each term separately" in case you are looking for either one term of the other. This will also allow you to search for the same term in multiple languages (e.g. "French Revolution" "Révolution française"). You can also choose one of the suggestions matching your search term once you start typing.
This will only show results that include documents that have been digitised and are available online
Use this option to search only one or more keywords, rather than all of them
Select where your search terms should appear specifically inside the archival description:
You can filter results by selecting where your search terms appears specifically inside the archival description:
You can filter results by selecting where your search terms appears specifically inside the description of the archive:
Please note that this filter will only include institutions, for which a type has been provided as part of their descriptions:
Enter a start and/or end date in the format DD-MM-YYYY, i.e. 01-01-1900 for 1 January 1900. This will allow you to focus your search on a specific period of time. You can use the calendar function or type directly in the text field. The checkbox "Exact date search" concentrates the search on one specific date.
Check "View in context" to view the results in the hierarchical structure of archives.
For more details see Research Tools
Please sign in to save your searches.
A holdings guide is an overview of the collections and fonds of one archival institution.
A finding aid is a structured description of archival materials per collection or fonds up to item level.
You can filter results by selecting one or more countries of interest. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by one or more holding archival institutions. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can select to view results from a specific Finding Aid, i.e., a structured description of archival materials per collection or fonds up to item level. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter by type of descriptive document:
You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by selecting "Fonds description" for a general overview or "Other descriptions" for item level. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter
selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results
matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by selecting only those containing digital objects, i.e. the link to the digitised version of the archival material you are looking for. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by type of digital object you are interested in:
You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results based on the date of creation of the archival material (which may differ from the time period you are interested in - e.g., philosophers from the Enlightenment period reflecting on classic thinkers)
Please note that not all documents contain a machine-readable date. More information here
You can filter results based on the date of creation of the archival material (which may differ from the time period you are interested in - e.g., philosophers from the Enlightenment period reflecting on classic thinkers). This filter will only include materials with "Full dates", i.e. those that include date information available for date-based searches. You can either search for a specific date of interest or focus step by step on the time span of a century, decade, year or month. When searching for a specific date, enter the date in the format DD-MM-YYYY, i.e. 01/01/1900 for 1 January 1900, via the calendar function or by typing directly in the text field.
This filter concentrates on the earliest dates mentioned in the materials.
You can filter results based on the date of creation of the archival material (which may differ from the time period you are interested in - e.g., philosophers from the Enlightenment period reflecting on classic thinkers). This filter will only include materials with "Full dates", i.e. those that include date information available for date-based searches. You can either search for a specific date of interest or focus step by step on the time span of a century, decade, year or month. When searching for a specific date, enter the date in the format DD-MM-YYYY, i.e. 01/01/1900 for 1 January 1900, via the calendar function or by typing directly in the text field.
This filter concentrates on the latest dates mentioned in the materials.
You can filter results based on the language in which the material is written. Please note that this filter will only include materials where specific language information has been provided by the institution and is therefore in a machine-readable format. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your selection will then be displayed above the search results (see "Search filters"). Clicking "Clear filters" will remove your selection and you will see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by selecting one or more topics of interest. Please note that this filter will only include materials where the topic has been assigned and is therefore in a machine-readable format. Read how to assign a topic to documents on the Topics page. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your selection will then be displayed above the search results (see "Search filters"). Clicking "Clear filters" will remove your selection and you will see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by selecting where your search terms appears specifically inside the archival description:
You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your selection will then be displayed above the search results (see "Search filters"). Clicking "Clear filters" will remove your selection and you will see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by type of entities:
You can filter results based on the language in which the material is written. Please note that this filter will only include materials where specific language information has been provided by the institution and is therefore in a machine-readable format. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your selection will then be displayed above the search results (see "Search filters"). Clicking "Clear filters" will remove your selection and you will see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results based on the type of holding institution. Please note that this filter will only include institutions, for which a type has been provided as part of their descriptions.
Write your message in your own language and use this drop-down menu to have your message translated into English or in the language of the institution for a swifter response. By checking this box and selecting a language you will send your original message along with the translated version
What kind of suggestion would you like to make?
This is a test area to fill out all the copyright details for Attribution Creative Commons Licence
This object is not or no longer protected by copyright and has been labelled with the Public Domain Mark. It can be used by anyone without any restrictions.
This object is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. All possible existing rights in the content are waived, and the object can be used by anyone without any restrictions.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution (BY) licence. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the licensed object, even
commercially, as long as you attribute the rights holder as described
in the licence.
This is a test area to fill out all the copyright details for Attribution Creative Commons Share Alike Licence
This is a test area to fill out all the copyright details for NoDerivs
This is a test area to fill out all the copyright details for NonCommercial
This object is in the public domain, but has been digitised as the outcome of a public-private partnership, where the terms of the contractual agreement limit commercial use for a certain period of time. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the object for non-commercial use only.
This object has been
identified as an Orphan Work in the country of first publication and in
line with the requirements of the national law implementing Directive
2012/28/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October
2012 on certain permitted uses of orphan works.
You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy or moral rights.
This object is in the public domain, but is subject to known legal restrictions other than copyright which prevent its free re-use. Please contact the providing institution for more information.
This object is currently in copyright. Please contact the providing institution for more information and in order to acquire additional permissions for re-use.
The copyright status of this object has not been evaluated yet. Please contact the providing institution for more information.
You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the
copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy, or moral rights.
This object is currently in copyright and the rights holder(s) have allowed re-use for educational purposes only. You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy or moral rights.
Please contact the providing institution for more information and in order to acquire additional permissions for any other uses.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, ShareAlike (BY-SA) licence. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak and build upon the licensed object, even for commercial purposes, as long as you attribute the rights holder as described in the licence, and you license your adaptations of the object under the same terms.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, ShareAlike (BY-SA) licence. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak and build upon the licensed object, even for commercial purposes, as long as you attribute the rights holder as described in the licence, and you license your adaptations of the object under the same terms.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, No Derivates (BY-ND) licence. You can copy and redistribute the object, even
commercially, as long as no alteration is made to the object and you attribute the rights holder as described in the licence.
If you remix, transform or build upon the object, you may not distribute the modified material.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, Non-Commercial (BY-NC) licence. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the licensed object for non-commercial use only and as long as you attribute the rights holder as described in the licence.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, Non-Commercial, ShareAlike (BY-NC-SA) licence. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the licensed object for non-commercial use only, as long as you attribute the rights
holder as described in
the licence, and as long as you license your adaptations of the object under the same
terms.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivates (BY-NC-ND) licence. You can copy and redistribute the object for non-commercial use only, as long as no alteration is made to the object and as long as you attribute the rights
holder as described in
the licence.
If you remix, transform or build upon the object, you may not distribute the modified material.
This object is in the public domain, but has been digitised as the outcome of a public-private partnership, where the terms of the contractual agreement limit commercial use for a certain period of time. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the object for non-commercial use only.
This object has been
identified as an Orphan Work in the country of first publication and in
line with the requirements of the national law implementing Directive
2012/28/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October
2012 on certain permitted uses of orphan works.
You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy or moral rights.
This object is in the public domain, but is subject to known legal restrictions other than copyright which prevent its free re-use. Please contact the providing institution for more information.
This object is currently in copyright. Please contact the providing institution for more information and in order to acquire additional permissions for re-use.
The copyright status of this object has not been evaluated yet. Please contact the providing institution for more information.
You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the
copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy, or moral rights.
This object is currently in copyright and the rights holder(s) have allowed re-use for educational purposes only. You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy or moral rights.
Please contact the providing institution for more information and in order to acquire additional permissions for any other uses.