bastardy bonds

[joani]

Clara Cann b. Leicester 1851 0r 1852. Mother was Harriet Cann, unmarried. Any way of finding Clara's father?

[sillgen]

Hi
Where was she baptised?   You will need to find the parish chest records for that area - usually at the local record office if they still exist - and see if there is any mention of her claiming parish relief.
Sadly, you may never know.
Andrea

[Westy11]

Are we saying that bastardy bonds only come into effect if the mother claimed poor relief??

Westy

[KGarrad]

Bastardy Bonds were instigated by the Overseer of the Poor, or Churchwardens.

A woman discovered pregnant outside marriage, apart from the social stigma attached to such behaviour, would probably become chargeable to the parish. If the putative father failed to admit his responsibility then the authorities acted swiftly and immediately instigated an Examination to establish the identity of the father carried out by either the Churchwarden and the Overseer of the Poor or the Quarter Sessions. These powers were of investigation were established under the Bastardy Act of 1575/6. The person was normally known to the mother and named by her during the examination.

Following the Examination, heavy pressure was exerted on the father to financially maintain the child and enter into a Bastardy Bond agreeing to pay the churchwarden and the overseers for the child’s maintenance. The terms of maintenance lasted until the child was old enough to be apprenticed out. If the supposed father resisted signing the bastardy bond, the parish officials could apply to the Justices for a filiation order which forced the father to pay for the upkeep of the child. Records of payments from the father are sometimes recorded in the Overseer of the Poor accounts or Churchwarden’s accounts.

(quoting from https://www.genguide.co.uk/source/bastardy-documents-parish-poor-law/140/)

Here, on the Isle of Man, they used Presentments For Fornication!

[Westy11]

OMGoodness what a wonderful title. 

I am hoping to find something for Leicestershire specifically Eaton in 1772.  Likelihood?

Westy

[KGarrad]

Leicestershire Record Office would be the most likely place.
They are highly unlikely to be online.

[Old Mother Reilly]

Hi, just an additional note about bastardy bonds. 

If the putative father was apprenticed to a trade, bastardy bonds were often not sworn as they were counterproductive.  Two reasons for this.  The first was that evidence of "fornication" would often break the terms of the Indenture and the Master could terminate the father-to-be's apprenticeship, leaving him unqualified and reducing his employment and earning potential.  Second, an apprentice had no income to speak of and would therefore not be worth suing for maintenance.  In such a case, a private arrangement might be made between the families of the couple concerned.

In Parish Registers, very occasionally the name of the reputed father will be noted against the baptism of an illegitimate child.  Marriage Certificates can also be useful - one of my illegitimate forebears omitted the name of his father from his marriage registration but, years later when he married again as a widower, he entered those all-important genealogical details!  Perhaps he was ignorant of the name when he was younger or perhaps with passing time the information was less sensitive?  Buying that second Certificate proved hugely useful 

Good luck with your search.

[Westy11]

Thanks to both of you for your insight.  Fingers crossed.  I was quite surprised to find that Thomas became a Shoe Maker assuming he was apprenticed.  Perhaps his father was an apprentice at his inception?

Westy