Bastardy affiliation order - help in better understanding it!

[ClaireDC]

Hi,

I was lucky enough to find the bastardy affiliation order in the local magistrates records for my illegitimate grandmother.  Although not so lucky as it turned out - the man's name on it sent my research on a long wild goose chase until DNA testing revealed another man to have been her father! 

To figure out what happened here, I really need to know whether this man was present in court for the hearing or not.  It says on the court record:

name of defendant, age if known: [his name]
plea: denied

Would he have been present to enter a plea?  It doesn't say his age which obviously he would have known so it made me wonder whether maybe he wasn't and this was just the info my great grandmother gave.  Did men turn up for these?  Was an absence just interpreted as plea denied?  Any experience of these and any thoughts?

Thanks

[Maiden Stone]

When was the hearing?

[ClaireDC]

Thanks, it was 1926.

[ClaireDC]

He was a soldier.

[brigidmac]

its quite unusual to find them apparently .
can you post a clip of what you are finding hard to read or understand .

i have a certificate for my grandmother the birth father didnt contest but i always wondered who he had to pay his weekly payments to ..as grandma was fostered out

but thats diverging from subject ,

it was very hard to prove paternity .i think the system was different in england + scotland

im interested to know how court cases were decided if the father couldnt or wouldnt
attend ,

[ClaireDC]

Trying to attach…

[brigidmac]

well done
what is the title of the document is it the order to appear or the judgement ?

I was able to ask the relevant records office for the actual affiliation order for my grandma but that was 1900 the 100 year rule may apply here .

but another tip is to find her baptism that may have fathers name included or not
(my grandmas baptism had different middle name from birth certificate ..with important clues )

[ClaireDC]

This is the transcript

[ClaireDC]

The middle name Brett is on my grandmother’s baptism. I made these discoveries a few years ago now and obviously thought her father was Michael Brett.

But since the advent of DNA testing I know he wasn’t! It was another soldier. So my great grandmother was either wrong in her accusation or I was wondering whether the actual father had given her another man’s name. This is why I want to understand whether Michael Brett attended court for this or not.