Birth in Taunton Workhouse

[Colinthecomet]

My grandmother's birth certificate says she was born in 1891 in Taunton St Mary Magdalen Workhouse. No father is named. Is ever possible to identify the father? For instance, would the workhouse have tried to establish and record this when taking in an expectant unmarried woman? I have no experience of workhouses so any advice would be appreciated.

[stanmapstone]

Welcome to RootsChat.
She was probably born in the hospital attached to the workhouse, and her mother was not an inmate. There would be no need to know who the father was.
The Registration Act of 1874 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" The Act came into force on 1st January 1875.

Stan

[hugatree]

Hi and welcome to rootschat

Further to Stan's comments.  Althought the birth certificate may not name the father, there might be mention of him on a baptism record, if it exists.

Good luck

Hugs

[Colinthecomet]

Thanks to both of you for your replies.

It's taken ages to find my long-dead gran's birth as she fibbed about her age and she always gave her maiden name as the surname of the man who married her mother in 1900 - and whom she named as her father on her own marriage certificate. So I was looking for the wrong name in the wrong year!

That elusiveness seems to continue as I can't yet see a baptism - but I'll keep looking for this.

[Geoff]

Hi Colin,

Every Illegitimate birth I have in my family tree has no record of the father at all in the documentation.
The child is given his mother's surname.

Cheers
Geoff