A family historian's guide to sources for illegitimacy in England and Wales, this book provides an introduction to the world of the unmarried mother and her child and discusses how best to formulate a research strategy.
It describes available sources: where to find them, how to use them and what information they contain. Includes a directory of useful websites and a useful glossary for the weird and wonderful synonyms for bastardy that you are likely to encounter in the course of your research.
Finally there is a step by step guide that will help you draw up a research plan tailored to your own needs.
Contents:
Foreword
List of Illustrations
Part 1: Illegitimacy in Context
1. Introduction
2. Illegitimacy and Inheritance
3. Legal Definition of Illegitimacy
4. Courtship and Marriage
5. Marriage
6. Divorce, Separation, Re-marriage and Cohabitation
7. Sexual Exploitation
8. Becoming an Unmarried Mother
9. Avoiding the Problem: Abortion and Infanticide
10. Child Maintenance: The Role of the Medieval Church Courts
11. Child Maintenance: The Poor Law Before 1834
12. Child Maintenance: The Poor Law After 1834
13. Child Maintenance: Affiliation Orders After 1844
14. The Unwanted Child: (1) Foundlings, Baby Farming and Adoption
15. The Unwanted Child: (2) Parochial Apprenticeships and Child Emigration Schemes
16. Further Reading: The Context of Illegitimacy
Part 2: Preparing for a Search
17. The Preliminaries
18. How Can You be Sure that your Ancestor was a Bastard?
19. Getting Started
20. Devising a Search Strategy
21. Reading the Records
Part 3: Finding and Using the Sources
22. Archives and Libraries in England and Wales
23. Adoption
24. Affiliation Orders (After 1844)
25. Apprenticeship Records
26. Bastardy Returns
27. Birth, Marriages and Deaths Before 1837
28. Births, Marriages and Deaths After 1837
29. Census Records
30. Criminal Records
31. Disputes: The Records of the Superior Courts
32. Divorce
33. Inquests (Infanticide and Abortions)
34. International Genealogical Index
35. Law Reports
36. Manorial Records
37. Newspapers, Pamphlets and Magazines
38. Police Records
39. Poor Law Records Before 1834 (the 'Old' Poor Law)
40. Poor Law After 1834 (the 'New' Poor Law)
41. Private Papers
42. Rescue Homes, Emigration Schemes and Adoption Societies
43. Trade Directories
44. Wills
Part 4: Finding Your Way Around
45. Guides to Records and Research
46. A Select List of Useful Websites
47. Useful Addresses
Appendix 1: Glossary of Synonyms for Bastardy
Appendix 2: A Simplified Search Plan
Index
