 At the end of their school life, girls were either returned to their family or supporters (known as Friends) or apprenticed and supported until they could establish themselves.The children could be from any part of the United Kingdom and had to be between the ages of six and nine.They had to be the daughters of freemasons and were required to be in good health, having already had smallpox or cowpox and "be free from infirmity of deformity."