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Archiver > DEVON > 2008-06 > 1214596250


From: "Chris Graves" <>
Subject: Re: [DEV] Official and unofficial adoptions, nineteenth century
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:50:50 +0100
References: <4864BAD2.10601@icon.co.za><9C173C78-8AEC-49A5-9DEE-38A52BA483E6@bigwindows.demon.co.uk><4864CF46.50908@icon.co.za>


There was no legal adoption process in the UK until 1927, strange as it may
seem

But there was wardship, guardianship and informal fostering from medieval
times

Chris Graves, Colchester


----- Original Message -----
From: "Merry Dewar" <>
To: "Anne Peat" <>
Cc: "DEVON mailing list" <>
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 12:30 PM
Subject: Re: [DEV] Official and unofficial adoptions, nineteenth century


> Thanks for this comment Ann. Quite commonplace then for families to take
> in children, even unrelated children, and call them their own. That's
> certainly a warning as to the limitations of censuses as a family
> history research resource, and might explain why I'm having trouble
> confirming some relationships through baptism records.
>
> Merry
>
>
>
> Anne Peat wrote:
>> 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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