Good morning/evening everyone.
Dear all, In response to an earlier point, it is the Minutes of Guardians of St Marylebone, 28 April 1826, Accounts of Edward Biggs, Overseer, which make reference to cash paid apprehending Valentine Simmons, Joseph Jacobs and Nath. White for barstardy £1.11s.6d. Peace, Steven.
Thanks for this Steven (and for telling us that you don't know Ann's marital status
).
Doesn't this look interesting? It would be well worth investigating. I have no knowledge or experience researching this kind of thing - does anyone have any ideas how to go about it? Are these the records that are held at Kew Steven?
I'm not sure I really understand what it is though:
Is this the accounts of Edward Biggs and how much it cost him to chase up these chaps to get money from them to pay for their illegitimate children? This is not the actual detail of the Bastardy Bond is it? If this is correct, then does anyone know how to go about looking for the Bastardy Bond or Bastardy Order.
I found this which seems to explain it quite well if, like me, you don't have much knowledge about this:
"A Bastardy Bond was the usual method by which the Parish Overseers ensured that illegitimate children did not have to be provided for out of the Parish Rates. The natural father might seal a Bond for a certain sums of money to be paid to the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the Parish, if he failed to provide for ‘the future Maintenance, Education, Nourishment and bringing up of the said Bastard Child….’ the Parish officials might take certain action. If the father was not very well off, or unreliable, another person might be included as a Guarantor.
Another method was for the Parish authorities to get a Bastardy Order, signed by two Justices of the Peace, ordering the unmarried father to pay a weekly fixed sum to the Overseers (not directly to the mother)."How great would it be to find this?
(our posts just crossed Deb - I see we are thinking along the same lines. I did post a little about the Tottenham Court Chapel yesterday but the denomination wasn't specified though I guessed it was not CofE due to it being called a Chapel? Am I off the mark thinking this?)
