Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hi,

Would anyone know where I would find adoption records for between 1881 and 1891? It's a bit of a long shot I know.

Thanks

Help here and note, Adoption records prior to 1927.

http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine. ... after-1927

MSteele wrote:Hi,

Would anyone know where I would find adoption records for between 1881 and 1891? It's a bit of a long shot I know.

Thanks

Hi,
Unfortunately legal adoptions only commenced in 1927. Prior to that 'adoptions' as such did not legally exist. There was only an ad hoc arrangement of foster-care, sometimes permanent, and for very young children a system of 'nurse-child' where an infant who would otherwise be put in a workhouse would be placed with a family and a small payment would be made by the local council towards maintenance costs. Sometimes a family would take in an orphaned or illegitimate child simply out of neighbourly charity and goodwill and raise it as their own. My paternal g.g.mother did just that in 1892!

A very sad side to the pre-1927 lack of legality is that many children born in mother-and-baby homes run by religious orders were literally sold to wanna-be parents, often from abroad, and there are virtually no records. While the practice continued after 1927 and records had to be kept, those later records are very difficult, almost impossible, to get hold of. The recent movie Philomena is a perfect example of the latter.

If you are on Facebook, there is a group called Free Epub Books, there has recently been a link to download Martin Sixsmith's The Lost Child of Philomena Lee.

Haven't read it yet but looking forward to.

Hi and thanks, I knew that was a long shot in the dark with a blindfold on!!