illegitimacy/informal adoption

[missbee]

Hello!

My great grandmother was a domestic servant in Glasgow from 1901 and at least until 1917. As far as I can tell she had 3 illegitimate children, one being my grandma. I understand that it would have been very difficult/impossible to raise children as a single mother while working as a domestic servant. Therefore all the children were raised in other families.
The first child, born in 1909, is with a family in the 1911 census as adopted son with his biological mothers surname.
The second child was born later in 1911 and has her biological mothers surname, and the surname of the first child's adoptive family as a middle name. Does anyone know whether the middle name would have been chosen because that family were intending to raise the child, or would it have been the father of the child's surname?
The third child (my grandma) was born in 1917, and her middle name was the surname of the family that raised her.
Would it be unlikely that the father of the child would raise the child in his family? The couple that raised my grandma had been married for 17 years with no children, but the other family had a child of their own. Why would the middle names have been chosen?
The first 2 children later reunited with their mother, but my grandma never knew her.
Am I correct in thinking that formal adoption wasn't around then?
Hope that makes sense and someone can figure out what I'm asking!

Thanks,
Bee

[GR2]

There wasn't the formal adoption we know today. As for middle names, they can be given for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes the father's name does not appear on the birth certificate, but it might be given on the child's marriage certificate or death certificate.

Graham.

[missbee]

Thanks Graham!

Do you know how the mother would have found a family to adopt her child before formal adoption? (If the child isnt raised by family or friends) Would the church have been involved?

Bee

[portybelle]

I found out about a friend's ancestor recently who was adopted in 1900. The full name they were registered with included the adoptive mother's maiden name and married name then the birth mother's surname. This can't have been coincidence so I presume it was arranged either before or soon after birth before registration. Perhaps this wasn't uncommon? Made it easy just to drop off the birth mother's surname then the rest of the names fitted the new family perfectly.

Formal adoption in Scotland wasn't until 1930 and there are no records for anyone before 1909 so it was all informal.

http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/Content/FAQs/Questions/index.aspx?1318

[hemmy]

Have you checked to see if there is a Poor Relief record?  Being a single mother, she would have at least missed some work and had no pay, so if she had no family support, she have had to rely on relief.

[missbee]

Thanks Portybelle and Hemmy!

My grandma did drop her biological mother's surname, but she always believed that the father that raised her was her biological father and that her mother was dead (2 of her father's wives died when she was young)

I will have a look for poor relief records.

Bee

[Guy Etchells]

Even with "informal adoption" there may be a paper trail.
See the last certificate at the foot of my certificates page.

http://anguline.co.uk/cert/certificates.htm

Cheers
Guy

[missbee]

Thanks Guy!

Interesting link! I shall definitely not rule out the possibility of a paper trail.

Bee