Lost father

[John miller]

Hi,
I wanted to know if anyone would be able to help me find some records for an illegitimate child who was born in 1932 Blackburn the birth certificate does not list the fathers name what could I try as 1932 is quite recent. Would there have been petty sessions or a bastardy order.
thanks a lot
Cameron

[Wilkes_ml]

I doubt if there would be any bastardy orders etc. But have you checked to see if the unmarried mother got married soon after the birth in 1932. Also did the child marry? If the child married, did they give a father's name then?

[John miller]

The marriage certificate gives the name of her adopted parents whom she was adopted shortly after she was born
Also would there be any petty sessions for the father.

[Peter Goodey]

If she was adopted, you'll be very unlikely to find any record of the father.

But if you're intent on trying, you're a century too late for a bastardy order although you might find a filiation order. The appropriate record office are the people who can advise you. Note that you need to know where the mother was living because that governs which court records you have to look at.

For example I see that Lancashire Archives have Blackburn Borough petty session records including filiation and maintenance orders 1845-1935. Catalogues and guides are online.

But frankly I don't think it's worth the effort. If the mother was going to have the child adopted, why would she need maintenance? And if she was getting maintenance, why would she have the child adopted?

[Lesley Robertson]

We don't deal in detail with modern adoptions here (and we don't allow the details of living or possibly living people to be posted), but there's a collection of possibly helpful websites on a sticky at the top of the adoption pre-1911 forum.

Has she asked for her adoption papers? Was she baptised? Sometimes the father is mentioned.

Unfortunately, in many cases, the mother just doesn't share the information with anyone.