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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: Elswick on Friday 20 June 25 08:48 BST (UK)
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I'm trying to identify organisations/institutions involved with adoption in the 1940's in Shropshire, England. Nowadays we'd call them adoption agencies, back then they went by many names. They were often religious based institutions in some way or other but occassionaly local government/councils had their own facility to deal with the placement of children.
There must be a database somewhere that lists such institutions for that era, anyone got any idea of where to look as I'm struggling here!
Lastly, let me make this blatantly clear,
I AM NOT LOOKING FOR ADOPTION RECORDS IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER!
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If you are looking for adoption records, see: https://www.gov.uk/adoption-records.
Please note: Everyone adopted before 12 November 1975 will need to attend a counselling session with an approved adoption advisor first.
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The National Archives have this.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/children-care/#6-childrens-homes-from-1930
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Adverts like this appeared in the papers in '40s and appear to avoid the authorities as Private transactions. I've seen instances of court appearances where the child was adopted "free" but later offered for adoption by the adopter on condition of a fee being paid.
Not clear where they fit in the scheme of things.
Shrewsbury Chronicle, 23 May 1941
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Just to make it clear, I am not looking for adoption records! I'm looking for organisations and institutions that were involved in adoption in the 40's, in Shrewsbury, notably around the Telford area. National Archives aren't much use, I've spent ages chatting with them lately.
BillyF: Thanks for your input, I've found that National Archives page myself and have spent a long time chatting with them on the matter. It seems adoption agencies don't fall under childcare/care homes/state care or anything else that your link relates to. Unfortunately the person I was chatting with at National Archives although understanding what I'm trying to find, couldn't help as far as where I should look.
hanes teulu:. Many thanks for the info, I'm well aware of newspaper articles like you posted, the question is who placed that piece in the newspaper? From the 1925 Adoption Act there's supposedly no such thing as an illegal adoption, everything would have followed the law, and would have been recorded. Therefore, the newspaper article you posted is likely to have been placed by an adoption agency of some kind, the very thing I'm trying to identify.
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Try www.childrenshomes.org.uk
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KGarrad: Tried it I'm afraid, very informative but not helpful as it deals with many different types of homes but barely mentions adoption at all, or the institutions involved in adoption.
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Some other alternatives:
"Waifs and Strays", later Church of England Children's Society,and now The Children's Society.
Dr Barnardo's.
The Catholic Church.
Salvation Army.
Any of the "Mother and Baby" Homes.
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Barnados. e-mailed them a couple of hours ago. Salvation Army, their main archives are very close to me and I've had dealings with them in the past. They ran numerous mother and baby homes for sure, I was born in one myself, but they weren't involved in adoption, that was always outside concerns. The same applies to most mother and baby homes, they were a place for the mothers to have their child, they weren't adoption agencies though they usually had close working relationships with such organisations.Waifs and Strays, no idea, I'll look into that, and finally, the Catholic Church........
Wish me luck on that one!!
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From a Wikipedia article on Forced Adoption in UK:
Unmarried mothers
From the 1950s to the 1970s babies were frequently taken away from unmarried mothers without any other reason simply because unmarried mothers were considered unsuitable parents. The Catholic Church, Church of England and the Salvation Army ran, “mother and baby homes” and UK adoption agencies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_adoption_in_the_United_Kingdom
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I'm well aware of the history, I am the product of exactly what you've just described but having said that since the Adoption Act of 1925 there's no such thing as an illegal adoption (in theory). All adoptions since then were conducted as per the law, are legal, went through the courts and were originally on record. Whether those records still exist is another subject entirely.
"The Catholic Church, Church of England and the Salvation Army ran, “mother and baby homes” and UK adoption agencies".
Mother and Baby Homes, yes, no argument with that detail at all. Adoption agencies though, well, this is a very grey area. All those institutions you mentioned were very closely connected for sure, and the agencies involved often had a religious ethos, and often they had the blessing of the church/local diocese, but to say the church ran such agencies is stretching the truth, and often it's simply wrong.
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hanes teulu:. Many thanks for the info, I'm well aware of newspaper articles like you posted, the question is who placed that piece in the newspaper? From the 1925 Adoption Act there's supposedly no such thing as an illegal adoption, everything would have followed the law, and would have been recorded. Therefore, the newspaper article you posted is likely to have been placed by an adoption agency of some kind, the very thing I'm trying to identify.
http://www.adoptionsearchreunion.org.uk/search/righttosearch/lawbasics.htm#:~:text=Until%201983%20private%20adoptions%20were%20legal.%20These%20were,placement%20of%20the%20child%20with%20prospective%20adoptive%20parents.
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Yes, private adoptions, but they were legal and legally formalised, no different to a more conventional adoption but without the middle man (adoption agency).
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I don't know if you have already seen this
https://www.shropshirearchives.org.uk/collections/getrecord/CCA_XPS1_18_E_2
1927- 1944
"These registers contain information relating to cases heard at Juvenile court re the adoption of children. The layout includes columns recording information such as the name and age of applicant, name, sex and age of infant, name of guardian, name of other respondents, fees payable & when paid and the signature and other remarks of the Justice adjudicating."
Perhaps name of guardian or other respondents may include agencies?
Access is restricted and a readers ticket is required.
Perhaps contact the archives?
https://www.shropshirearchives.org.uk/contact-us/
According to Kelly's 1934 directory there was a waifs and strays home in Shrewsbury:
St Saviour's in The Holly, Sutton Rd
As well as
The Salop home for working Boys (police court mission) The Woodlands, Abbey Foregate.
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1547/images/GB0085-00236?usePUB=true&_phsrc=Rjh890&pId=918201
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fiddlerslass: An interesting link, I'll investigate it further but for the moment let me make it blatantly clear to everyone that I am not looking for any adoption records.
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I am confused as to what exactly you are looking for?
Why look for an Adoption Agency, if you aren't looking for the records?
Oh, BTW it was the Adoption of Children ACT 1926. ;)
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Indseed it was!
Regarding your confusion, I thought my original post was fairly clear.
"I'm trying to identify organisations/institutions involved with adoption in the 1940's in Shropshire, England. Nowadays we'd call them adoption agencies, back then they went by many names".
I am not looking for mother and baby homes, orphanages, work houses or anything similar and I'm definitely not looking for adoption records. I'm looking for the many organisations that existed that organised adoptions.
I know this subject inside out, firstly I was born in a mother and baby home, secondly I was adopted and lastly I've been through the process of obtaining my adoption records. My problem is in spite of my knowledge on the subject I only know about the agency that dealt with my adoption, now I need to learn about similar organisations in a different part of the country, hence my post.
Google Salvation Army plus my username and see what you find!
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Yes, private adoptions, but they were legal and legally formalised, no different to a more conventional adoption but without the middle man (adoption agency).
Daily Mirror, 29 Jan 1943
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Excellent find hanes teulu! It mentions "societies with a licence", they are what we now call adoption agencies (or similar), it's those societies I'm trying to identify in the Shropshire area, 1949 or thereabouts.
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https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1943/dec/08/adoption-of-children-registered-societies
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I like that fiddlerslass, great find, very much appreciated!!
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Right, here's where I'm up to at the moment. The following organisations were definitely involved in the placement of children (adoption) in the 1940's
Barnados
Shrewsbury Diocesan Children's Rescue Society
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is an interesting one as I was categorically told ten years ago by both their UK H/Q and the person in charge of their Archives Centre that their organisation was never involved in adoption. Well their website says otherwise, over the years around 850 children were placed for adoptions through this organisation, ceasing in 1953 due to a change in the law.
If any of you know of any other organisations then pop them up here!
Thanks for the interest and help shown by you all.
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In 1944 my mother went for help after she was told "To get rid of me" She got in touch with Sister Laver, (a Methodist Missionary, who was considered too weak to go to China)....She survived in Gateshead until in her 90's!). During her time in the overcrowded, polluted N.E. she set up food kitchens and practical social help; Boys Scouts - having the largest group in England, I'm informed. Practical groups for knit and natter; days out at the coast and country for all ages. Put on Concerts etc., and she also set up a mother and baby home - firstly in street houses, and eventually a properlyorganised base for women in time of need when coming up for the birth of their babies, and help to place children into new homes, after giving birth in Bensham Hospital, Gateshead.
Sister Laver is one of many who served local communities in the U.K., instead of going as Missionaries abroad.
Perhaps there are many such charities that went under the radar 50 years or more ago. It may be worth cheking archives and libraries to see if any of these smaller units, AND/OR PRIVATE ADOPTIONS ARRANGED BY RELATIVES AND LOCAL DOCTORS? Many family members took over the responsibilty of illegitimate children as their own, and tried hard to hide the fact that 'an Aunt, or Cousin' was in fact the mother of the child whom they brought up as their own.
My full sister, was unaware of my existence, until the day she was married! All her cousins, Aunts and Uncles knew of my existence and kept it quiet until 1 9 6 5 so we aren't talking about the 1800's and Victorian times that Charles Dickens wrote about in his stories!
After years of campaigning, I located my birth mother, before the 1975 Childrens Act came into force - AND WITHOUT KNOWING HER NAME BUT IT TOOK ME TEN YEARS TO BREAK THE REGISTER CODES, and a lot of good luck and faith of a rookie journalist to apply for my certificate...and a big mistake in a Seconded worker not knowing the rules about refusing to give a certificate to a member of the public (when it had the word ADOPTED SHOWING IN THE MARGIN!!!) Four hours after seeing my mothers and my own name - I managed to bridge 33 years of ignorance.
I am still trying to identify my father, and sort out the web of lies and false leads given over the years. He was serving in the Army in WW11. Down to two possibilities. All I need is to prove his Service Record, that he was in England at the time of my conception, before I follow my final lead with his family name and check with his ancestors if we have the same DNA.
Happy hunting.....
S
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Fascinating reply there Doreen Peacock, we share much in common it seems! Private message inbound for you.
Update on the general overview of my post regarding the mother and baby home involved (Myford House):
"Myford House was a mother and baby home run by the Church of England Diocese (Lichfield). The surviving records of the CofE Diocese Lichfield are held by the Shropshire Archives".
"If the Church of England Children’s Society was involved, they are now called the Children’s Society".