Victorian England; how would one have gotten away with this?

[Daltonator86]

So there is something suspicious in my family tree; without going into too much detail there is a possibility that my grandmother's birth mother was not her biological one; in that her father had an affair and bore a child with another woman. Obviously, although divorce was illegal, a man was able to have multiple affairs whilst the woman would be beholden to the relationship; illegitimate affairs were NOT uncommon in Victorian England. My grandmother was born in 1888, officially the 2nd of 9 children. Her parents married in 1885, so how unusual would it have been that she would have still been raised with her father's wife as her 'mother'? How would 'they' have gotten away with the birth registration?

[Dundee]

..... there is a possibility that my grandmother's birth mother was not her biological one

Birth mother and biological mother are the same thing.  You mean her biological mother was someone other than the father's wife?

How would 'they' have gotten away with the birth registration?

It was not legal to knowingly provide false information to a Registrar, but how would it have been checked?  The information was given by an informant and recorded by the Registrar.  There were plenty of false birth registrations.

Debra 

[Daltonator86]

..... there is a possibility that my grandmother's birth mother was not her biological one

Birth mother and biological mother are the same thing.  You mean her biological mother was someone other than the father's wife?

How would 'they' have gotten away with the birth registration?

It was not legal to knowingly provide false information to a Registrar, but how would it have been checked?  The information was given by an informant and recorded by the Registrar.  There were plenty of false birth registrations.

Debra 

Yes, sorry that is exactly what I meant. Sorry that was clumsily worded. Would it not have been strange if her father would have had an affair but instead of the (possibly) poor mistress in question having to deal with a child, out of the goodness of his heart he took his/her child and raised as if she was the child of him and his wife?

[wivenhoe]

"My grandmother was born in 1888, officially the 2nd of 9 children."

You have 9 births with records showing same mother and father for each, being the couple who married, 1885?

And you believe the birth record for the second born, your grandmother, is incorrect and should record a different mother?

What causes you to believe this?

[Dundee]

If it did happen it wouldn't have been "out of the goodness of his heart".  If the child's mother pursued a paternity case then he was liable to maintain the child and if he didn't he could end up in gaol.

Debra 

[Daltonator86]

If it did happen it wouldn't have been "out of the goodness of his heart".  If the child's mother pursued a paternity case then he was liable to maintain the child and if he didn't he could end up in gaol.

Debra 

Wouldn't a paternity case at that period in time last for a while rather than within several months?

[sparrett]

Like wivenhoe above, I am curious as to your evidence for this theory.

Are you working from a GRO index of birth registration which leads you to this conclusion?
Is it a DNA result?
What?


Sue

[maddys52]

I recall researching a family Wales a little while ago where the wife took in a child of an extramarital affair between her husband and another woman. Can't remember all the details exactly, however the child died through what seemed neglect, and there was a court case written up in the newspapers where all the details were reported.

Whilst unusual, I'm sure it did happen from time to time.

Modified to add:
Here is the previous thread - he had an affair with his wife's sister.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=866080

[Ruskie]

Divorce wasn’t “illegal” in Victorian times. I’m not sure that women were “beholden to the relationship” either - plenty would have had extra marital affairs and had children which were not their husbands.

Like the others I am curious to know your reason for thinking that the husband had a child with another woman, and that child was taken in by his wife and family.

There could be any number of scenarios which could lead to a couple taking in another child (whether the husband’s child or) - a founding - relative’s child - neighbour’s child … the list goes on.

Rather than speculating, if you gave more detail we might be able to help you further.