This is primarily a study of the earliest Protestant Orphan Society, founded in Dublin in 1828. The geographical scope of the project is not solely confined to Dublin as reference is also made to Protestant orphan societies located in Monaghan, Cork, Meath, Westmeath, Carlow, Mayo, Limerick and Tipperary. These later societies used the structures of the P.O.S. in Dublin as a blueprint. However, they worked largely independently of the Dublin society and were not subject to direction from the parent body. County Protestant orphan societies had separate committees, accounts and in some cases distinct policies and rules. This thesis records mainly the social history of an under-documented yet eminently significant organisation affiliated with the Church of Ireland. There are two primary aims. The first is to consider the framework of the P.O.S., the basis for its foundation and the establishment of county societies throughout Ireland, funding and the separate management roles assumed by men and women. The second aim is to examine the impact that Protestant orphan societies, in particular, the P.O.S. in Dublin, had on bereaved families, to draw attention to children’s life experiences and their lifecycle as P.O.S. orphans thus bringing their identity to the fore.