卓别林与汉娜分居后便与儿子没有了联系,也没有提供经济支持[18]。查理·卓别林在70年后的回忆录中写道,他“几乎不记得有父亲”[19]。尽管事实上他们在肯宁顿住得很近[20]。1896年,查理和悉尼被送进了济贫院。当地机构联系了卓别林,他说他愿意照顾查理,但不愿意照顾悉尼。监护委员会决定最好让兄弟俩在一起,但裁定卓别林对两个男孩都负有法律责任,并命令他每周支付15先令用于共同抚养[21]。但他没有支付任何款项,因此一年后,南华伦敦自治市镇议会(英语:Southwark London Borough Council)对卓别林发出拘捕令,理由是他忽视了抚养孩子[16]。后来卓别林的兄弟斯宾塞提供了还款,因而免遭逮捕[22]。
^Stockdill, Roy. Famous family trees: Charlie Chaplin. Findmypast. [2015-11-07]. (原始内容存档于2017-06-20). Decades later Rillington Place was to become infamous as the site of the murders of a number of women by the serial killer, John Reginald Halliday Christie.
^Charlie’s Father: Charles Chaplin Sr.. [2022-04-27]. (原始内容存档于2021-05-16). He was well known as a comic singer, and had a number of songs made famous by him, such as “Oui! Tray Bong!”, “Eh! Boys?” and - written by himself – “The Girl Was Young and Pretty”.
^Charlie’s Father: Charles Chaplin Sr.. [2022-04-27]. (原始内容存档于2021-05-16). Drinking was a professional problem amongst many music hall stars of the period, and it was alcoholism that eventually killed Charles Chaplin Sr.