Under the Guardians’ Supervision
Illegitimacy, Family, and the English Poor Law, 1870–1930
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6079846 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ginger S Frost (Samford University, corresponding author), Ginger Frost (0000-0003-0529-6325, Samford University) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 122-139 |
| Publication date | 2013-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Family History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0363-1990 • E-ISSN: 1552-5473 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0363199013476851 |
| OpenAlex | W1995043660 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
This article explores how Cambridge and Cardiff poor law unions “found” families for illegitimate children between 1870 and 1930, even when doing so meant coming into conflict with national regulations. Both unions pursued support from fathers, stepfathers, maternal kin, and others. They also recognized cohabiting relationships in outrelief, and they used creative fostering and adoption schemes involving wider kin. As time went by, guardians formally took the place of some families, but failed to remove children entirely from kin who were determined to stay in contact. Ironically, then, the poor law acknowledged the relationships between illegitimate children and their families well before the Legitimacy Act of 1926
Cohabitation · Legitimacy · Next of kin · Political science · Sociology · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · Law
| Citations per year | 0.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2019 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |