help: illegitimate births

[claretnblue]

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me what the usual procedure was regards illegitimate births in the year 1920? 

would the father have to pay maintenance or any other form of support, or would this be optional or case specific?   would the father be referenced on any documents at all relating to the birth?
or would an illegitimate birth in 1920 not have been that big a deal and the family left to cope with it.

Cheers

Ed.

[stanmapstone]

The Registration Act of 1875 states:
"The putative father of an illegitimate child cannot be required as father to give information respecting the birth. The name, surname and occupation of the putative father of an illegitimate child must not be entered except at the joint request of the father and mother; in which case both the father and mother must sign the entry as informants"

Therefore a man could only be named as the father of an illegitimate child on the birth certificate if he consented and was also present when the birth was registered.

Stan

[stanmapstone]

There is some information at
http://www.childsupportanalysis.co.uk/guest_contributions/snow_illegitimate/first_page.htm


Stan