Illegitimate Ancestors

The History

Despite being a common event in Victorian times illegitimacy carried a serious stigma preventing an illegitimate child from inheriting property, holding a commission in the armed services , joining the clergy and even from entering an orphanage if their parent died.

For this reason deception often took place with an illegitimate child being  registered by married relatives ,  and in future years altered  dates of birth and parents details being provided in census returns and other official requests.

Pregnant single women were often quickly married to older single or recently widowed men or in some cases the child was killed or abandoned.

Amongst middle and upper classes a pregnant daughter was cause for great shame and was frequently dealt with by throwing the daughter out and having no more to do with her. Lucky daughters would be sent on an extended holiday abroad to cover the pregnant period and then the child would be adopted or occasionally bought up by the family as the sifter of the pregnant girl.

Abortion was unlawful although backstreet abortionist and ' wise women' continued to thrive until comparatively modern times.

Amongst lower classes sexual relations before marriage was much more common and consequently so was pregnancy amongst unmarried women.

Women who were unable to find a husband before the birth would live with her family if they were tolerant and they could afford to feed another mouth or she and her child would end up in the workhouse.

Illegitimate children were at one stage denied access to orphanages on the grounds that they may corrupt the honest children there. The opening of children's homes by Dr Barnardo to cater for all destitute children helped provide safe homes for all children.

After 1844 mothers of illegitimate children were able to apply to a Magistrates Court for a maintainence order requiring the father to pay maintainence.

Care of illegitimate children was  such a problem that a new profession of ' baby farming' nurses sprang up who would take on a number of children to raise for money. To make the venture worthwhile many children needed to be cared for in with the smallest expense on accommodation, heating, clothing and food. Not surprisingly mortality rates were very high for these unfortunates.

Finding illegitimate ancestors

Tracing illegitimate ancestors is a difficult task as there was considerable concealment of births and few formal records.

The good news is that many of the illegitimate births will appear on your family tree as normal births with an adjusted date of birth or different parents. In most cases you will have no idea and even if you has suspicions there would be little that you could do to prove things .

where you are sure that an illegitimate child in your family tree you may like to consider-

Adoption records

Workhouse records

Magistrate Court Bastardy records/ Affiliation Orders

Apprentice records

Children's Home Records