But ..what happened to the babies ...?

[brigidmac]

From Leeds mercury 22 Nd Jan 1907

Advert

Lady without children would like to adopt  strong healthy baby entire surrender premium £15 good home write Jessie Bourne 5 Tudor street Cardiff

Same paper same wording 30 march 1907
Mrs Isdale 60 isleton liverpool


There are so many articles about the case was impressed that the first I heard of this event it was Australian papers that   I saw first .

Now where are those babies wanting homes adverts hiding

[brigidmac]

Am trying to create a neat chart of what we know about which babies ..is gender . where taken from date o/age  name and relation of witness at trial   where taken too and name of adoptees or birth families

I don't think I noted where couple were living in each case but if they baptised any more of the children that would be useful

Though they were based in Liverpool a lot ..when not touring .
Might have to be a photo shot of my notes for now . 

[brigidmac]

How do I type this into a neat chart

Richard ..do you take dictation s ?

If anyone finds any other information about the babies they could fill in the gaps

I.m convinced there were more Irish ones

[Richard Tisdale]

FROM THE PAPERS - They took babies from mothers in Leeds, Lincoln, Charlton Kings, cheltenham, Wetheridge in Devon, Chester Dewsbury, Chesterfield, Whickham, worcester, Bath and Wendesfield Staffordshire. grimbsby alrinchham,  Ollerton.

Where taken to list ....Neath, Hammersmith, Bath at pancras (place of exchange ) Lincoln Halifax Mold Flintshire, Sheffield.
Thanks to Brigid for helping to compile.

[brigidmac]

The list of where they were taken to is being typed up ...I think at pancreas was just a train station where some babies were exchanged to save train fares

Lottie (and Herbert) deliberately advertised babies at a town distant from where they said they were living ..i.m wondering if they weren't based in Liverpool above the sweet shop for a lot of the time but Herbert made use of the postal boxes innCardiff Manchester Neath Leeds etc whenever he was touring

Super sleuths out there .I think their friend who gave birth to oneof the first babies   a boy , may hold a clue .I suspect she was an actress too .was sheca witness ? Did Herbert father her baby and Lotties ? That would be a good reason to insist he was not the father of Lotties baby Jessie

Another thing anyone who has access to old films there was another court case involving this pair which never went to trial ..about theft of cinematography films ..they may well have featured on the film's themselves and disputed ownership

[brigidmac]

The radio episodes were fantastic

I was confused edge of my seat Eve n tho I knew the ending

And of course feel a little defensive of Lottie .(...may have found someone who links us via DNA)

I only knew about one baby goingbto workhouse .i thought they mostly looked for childless couples to adopt the love babies ....not making payments to a childminder was a risky business ..because theY were likely to be pursued

Richard could you put the linknfrom your blog please and to the radio catch up ..there is a lot of interest in this storyb

[brigidmac]

Our CHARLOTTE Roberts proved by DNA married in 1902 and had legitimate baby Micheal Eric Benjamin in 1906

Which almost certainly rules her out from being the baby trafficker

But I am still interested in finding out  more about the babies 

Also in USA there are 3 other people who have a match with the two who have CHARLOTTE as mutual gmother

None of the surnames match ....but maybe they need to go back another generation

[Richard Tisdale]

I've written the story up in my blog - there's also a podcast attached.
Here's part 1 of the story - for the other parts follow the links.

https://newsfromthepastblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/1907-britains-most-prolific-baby-traffickers-caught-in-liverpool-part-1/

[brigidmac]

It's a great listen ....very well written a pleasure to read even if I think it's a bit harsh on the couple .

..I remain sympathetic regardless of whether she was my relative or not ...I  still believe only 1 child was in workhouse and there was only one hostile witness who testified to a child being ill and cold on arrival ...was she the same lady who took the child to workhouse when payments didn't arrive ?

I don't know if DNA will  solve mystery of any of the other babies ..