1920/21 "Adoption" - Quistions

[Dnallov]

Hi Guys - Happy new year!

Something awesome has happened; after 10 years of looking, I think I have found my Grandmothers (who was adopted) birth certificate and thus her mother (also a "father", but likely not her actual father).  My grandmother was Peggy Richards (Richards being her adopted family name) born 20/11/1914 (known thanks to 1939 census)

I'm not going into full detail of how I found her (may do that separately as now looking for further details), but a quick summary...

My father did an Ancestry DNA test and pointed to a close family member on his Mother's side.  I found a news article from 1920 involving a family member in this tree; in the article, the guy was disputing his child was his.  This child was being looked after by Guardians (Warkworth House), her mother, still alive but no longer involved it seems; the Guardians were seeking money towards the girl's up keep.

This girl was not included in the family tree of the family match.  I did a quick search and found her birth records.  A number of things were lining up, including dates locations and a story, so I was quietly confident I had found Peggy, who, if right, was actually born Lily

Placed an order for the birth certificate, and got that today.  The birthdate matches my grandmother to the day (20/11/1914) so I'm now in 80% certainty territory.   But something "added" and was completely unexpected is an addition to this birth certificate - "adopted".  I'm almost certain now I have found Peggy!

I have a question.  From what I can tell, the adoption occurred between the date of the news article (1920) and 1921 when Peggy was listed as living with her adopted family (as Peggy Richards).  I've always been told that adoption of the time was informal, with few to no records.  But the inclusion of "adopted" would make me think this was made "official"?  Would there be any further records I could look for?

Link to image of Birth Certificate of Lily/ Peggy below:)

https://i.ibb.co/MRLhkNp/Screenshot-2025-01-03-at-14-10-11-Created-by-the-General-Register-Office-COL123580-2024-1-LILY-MAY-I.png

[Andy J2022]

I think one of two things happened with regard to the original birth certificate being amended in this way. The first is that the Registrar was notified by the child's guardian of the informal adoption. The alternative is that, following the 1926 Adoption of Children Act when the courts were first enabled to make adoption orders, her adoptive parents arranged for this to happen and the GRO was consequently notified of the court order.  The second option seems the more likely as, before the 1926 Act. the GRO had no formal means of recording adoptions since it was the Act which created the Adopted Children Register (see section 11 of the Act). The annotation on Lily's certificate is identical in format to that on the birth certificate of one of my relatives (born 1919). In the latter's case, the court order was made in 1934.
If you contact the GRO via an intermediary agency (such as your local social services or an adoption charity like Coram or Barnardo's) you can obtain the details the GRO has about the adoption order. Details here:  http://www.adoptionsearchreunion.org.uk/search/dap/

[Dnallov]

I think one of two things happened with regard to the original birth certificate being amended in this way. The first is that the Registrar was notified by the child's guardian of the informal adoption. The alternative is that, following the 1926 Adoption of Children Act when the courts were first enabled to make adoption orders, her adoptive parents arranged for this to happen and the GRO was consequently notified of the court order.  The second option seems the more likely as, before the 1926 Act. the GRO had no formal means of recording adoptions since it was the Act which created the Adopted Children Register (see section 11 of the Act). The annotation on Lily's certificate is identical in format to that on the birth certificate of one of my relatives (born 1919). In the latter's case, the court order was made in 1934.
If you contact the GRO via an intermediary agency (such as your local social services or an adoption charity like Coram or Benardo's) you can obtain the details the GRO has about the adoption order. Details here:  http://www.adoptionsearchreunion.org.uk/search/dap/

Thanks you!

I've always verged away from going through adoption records as always assumed that it was to long after Peggy was "adopted".

Will start the process next week :-)

[Neale1961]

Do you know at what age Peggy was adopted? As a baby or as a slightly older child?

George and Lillian Robinson (parents on birth cert) are living at 10 Livingstone Rd. Hounslow in the 1911 census, with a son aged 6.

[Dnallov]

Do you know at what age Peggy was adopted? As a baby or as a slightly older child?

George and Lillian Robinson (parents on birth cert) are living at 10 Livingstone Rd. Hounslow in the 1911 census, with a son aged 6.

I think so; the news clipping below (under "a father liability", and my "smoking gun" that lead to me ordering the birth certificate) was from 1920, and notes Lily/ Peggy as in a workhouse (Warkworth House) for 4 years.  By 1921, Peggy was showing as living with her adopted parents in the 1921 census.

So it would seem she was "adopted" between June 1920 & April 1921, and she would have been 5

Whilst George and Lillian Robinson lived together in 1911, their marriage was strained, at times violent, and Lillian accused of always drinking.  There are numerous news articles providing insight, the first in 1905 with Lillian seeking separation, and another in 1916 (and only days after Lily/ Peggy being born - likely the cause) resulting in George seeking a divorce.

George ended up with custody of his son; I'm not sure what has happened to the mother Lily as can't find anything else, but evidently gave up her child to the workhouse/ guardians

Also telling that the birth location of Lilly/ Peggy was 10 Livingstone Rd, but the location of then mother was located at a different address.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gMDAuxwIVB1i9eRdL3UDJBo47fpglB6Z/view?usp=sharing

[AntonyMMM]

The annotation of "adopted" can only have been added from 1927 onwards but it is quite common for earlier adoptions to have been formalised through the courts after the 1926 act.

The "child" could be adopted up to the age of 21.