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Archiver > DEVON > 2008-06 > 1214562280


From: Anne Peat <>
Subject: Re: [DEV] Official and unofficial adoptions, nineteenth century
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:24:40 +0100
References: <4864BAD2.10601@icon.co.za>
In-Reply-To: <4864BAD2.10601@icon.co.za>


Merry, there was no formal register of adoptions before 1 January
1927. This web site summarises the situation

http://www.wolverhamptonarchives.dial.pipex.com/adoption.htm

It is likely that any child who was the (illegitimate) child of one
spouse would simply be treated as a child of the marriage for census
purposes. I've certainly found that in my tree.

You might only find a record of an adoption if there was property to
be inherited, so a formal document would be drawn up, and the fact
might be mentioned in a will. But for ordinary folk, often the family
or a neighbour just took on a child, often to prevent them ending up
in a workhouse.

HTH
Anne
On 27 Jun 2008, at 11:02, Merry Dewar wrote:

> Hi ever-helpful Listers
>
> Does anyone have information about nineteenth century adoption
> processes/practices in Devon?
>
> Is it likely that census takers in 1851 and 1861 could be told that
> someone in a rural household was a son or daughter if that child was
> not
> the head of the household's or that householder's spouse's natural
> born
> child? Can one be certain that the term 'son' or 'daughter' means that
> the child had at least one parent in the immediate family? Could a
> niece
> or nephew, for instance, have be taken in on the death of his/
> herparents
> by a relative without a formal adoption or any other process? In a
> small
> hamlet, where the inhabitants may have on familiar terms with the
> census
> taker, could it have been likely that the descriptions were 'common
> knowledge' rather than strictly true?
>
> In the case of formal adoptions, would a Small Project DRO search
> reflect these?
>
> Merry
>
>

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