adoption records

[lisingreece]

Hi, I am tracing the family of Alfred James Bickerton b 1887 either Darlington Durham or Wakefield. He seems to change his mind a bit. I have him I think in the 91 with Parents Edward and Annie and siblings Later that year and in 94 the siblings die. I think at this time he was adopted by Patrick and Marg Brennan of Ireland living in Batley Yorkshire. He is in the 01 in Batley adopted. His present day family are confused as he always said he came from Ireland, but I cannot find him there. So I want to find when he was adopted by the Brennans. In 1909 he married Miriam Grayson.
Thank you for any help
all the best
Lis

[Elwyn Soutter]

Formal adoption law wasn’t introduced in the Republic of Ireland till the 1950s and 1927 in Northern Ireland. So for an adoption in Ireland in the 1800s, it would have been an informal affair with little or no paperwork. Possibly arranged via the church or between close family, but it’s very unlikely there will be any paperwork to be found today.

[lisingreece]

OK Elwyn thank you and if they adopted in Yorkshire around 1894 would the answer still be the same , no formal records then?
Lis

[Elwyn Soutter]

Not an expert on English adoption law but I think it matches NI in that there was nothing prior to 1927 or thereabouts. (Others on this site will know for certain).

[crisane]

Hello Lis
Up until 1927 adoptions were not a legal process in England. Prior to the Act coming in to force any adoptions were an arrangement by the concerned parties. Sometimes it was between family members and sometimes not.
My father was adopted in 1911. My first research efforts indicated that it was between family members because of a same surname in previous generation but I could not connect them. I later found my adoptive grandparents living 4 doors down from the brother of my Dad's birth mother.

Alfred may have assumed he was born in Ireland because his adoptive parents were and assumed his birthparent/s was also.

So you have Alfred's marriage certificate? Who does he give as his father?

https://www.jstor.org/stable/30009455?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

[lisingreece]

Thank you for clarifying Crisane.
As to the birth cert, if the family have not got it then I will send for it. A bit confusing as the birth index records him born Darlington but his war records records Wakefield.

I do agree that his idea of being born in Ireland probably came form his Adoptive parents.

Thank you
Lis

[rosie99]

Does his marriage cert name his father 

[KGarrad]

The 1901 census states:
RG13/4258/33/19

Brennan, Patrick  Head  M  27  Coal Miner  b England (City not stated)
Brennan, Margaret  Wife  F  26  b Ireland
Bickerton, Alfred  Adopted Son  M  15  <something> on Coal Mine  b England (City Not Stated)


1891 census
RG12/4041/113/11

Bickerton, Edward  Head  M  27  General Labourer  b Crewe, Cheshire
Bickerton, Annie  Wife  F  27  b Darlington, Co. Durham
Bickerton, Alfred  Son  M  4  b Darlington
Bickerton, Sarah J  Daughter  F  2  b Darlington
Bickerton, John E  Son  M  5 weeks  b Darlington

[rosie99]

The 1887 birth reg mothers maiden name Wood certainly agrees with that census KGarrad - Edward Bickerton married Annie Wood Dec qtr 1886 Darlington RD. 

He probably had no idea where he was born and just assumed Ireland having been brought up by Margaret & Patrick