Manchester University Press
7 ‘Passed from hand to hand’
Abstract
Child exchange was not new; moving children into neighbours' homes was ubiquitous in the early modern period. Illegitimate children frequently moved between different branches of their families. Most often, children went from mothers to grandparents and aunts and uncles or from the maternal relatives to a stepfather and mother. By the late nineteenth century, all kinds of organisations used fostering as a way to prolong infant life and socialise children, including workhouses and charities. Fostering encouraged child circulation because of its temporary nature. Fostering was inherently unstable, leading to children circulating through relatives, charities, and foster parents. In theory, adopting a child removed some of the problems; in reality, adoptions were not legally binding until the Adoption Act of 1926. The stain of illegitimacy meant that adoptive parents worried the children had inherited mental or moral weaknesses.
Abstract
Child exchange was not new; moving children into neighbours' homes was ubiquitous in the early modern period. Illegitimate children frequently moved between different branches of their families. Most often, children went from mothers to grandparents and aunts and uncles or from the maternal relatives to a stepfather and mother. By the late nineteenth century, all kinds of organisations used fostering as a way to prolong infant life and socialise children, including workhouses and charities. Fostering encouraged child circulation because of its temporary nature. Fostering was inherently unstable, leading to children circulating through relatives, charities, and foster parents. In theory, adopting a child removed some of the problems; in reality, adoptions were not legally binding until the Adoption Act of 1926. The stain of illegitimacy meant that adoptive parents worried the children had inherited mental or moral weaknesses.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Acknowledgements vi
- Introduction 1
- 1 ‘Strangers in the blood’ 14
- 2 ‘The workhouse or death’ 49
- 3 Part of the family? 79
- 4 Courts of last resort 109
- 5 Simple acts of justice 146
- 6 Love and loss 179
- 7 ‘Passed from hand to hand’ 204
- 8 ‘Bad blood’? 238
- Conclusion 266
- Bibliography 276
- Index 292
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Acknowledgements vi
- Introduction 1
- 1 ‘Strangers in the blood’ 14
- 2 ‘The workhouse or death’ 49
- 3 Part of the family? 79
- 4 Courts of last resort 109
- 5 Simple acts of justice 146
- 6 Love and loss 179
- 7 ‘Passed from hand to hand’ 204
- 8 ‘Bad blood’? 238
- Conclusion 266
- Bibliography 276
- Index 292
