middle name part 2

[GloucsYeates]

Hi all,
With regard to my first thread, I would appreciate your views about Eliz Yates mother of Richard.
Eliz had Richard 1797 (illiegitimate) and then Sarah Ann in 1803 also illegitimate, Eliz died shortly after and was never married.
I was just wondering,was this common? and does it give any clues as to Eliz's occupation? I would love to know what she did as this could give a clue as to father of Richard. Sounds like she had a tough and unlucky life.
Cheers,
dave.

[Peter Goodey]

So what exactly does the register say? It's not unknown for the register to contain clues. Also have bastardy bonds survived? Other parish poor law records?

What happened to the children after the mother's death?

[Marie C..]

Does the baptismal register actually say" Richard illigitimate(or bastard) son of Elizabeth Yates"? and the same for the other child. If not then what makes you think they are illigitimate? Elizabeth? might have married a Mr. Yates and he was off to the war and she had to have them baptised herself.
If it states definitely that each was illigitamate then that is different and the poor lady was just unfortunate.
I would think Richard was Hall's child.
During some periods of history illigitimacy was less of a stigma than at other times.... just as now!!
I have a great great grandfather who was the child of one John Billingham and Mary Linnett.
He is down on the baptismal register as John, illigitimate son of John Billingham and Mary Linnett. Mary was of the parish and John came from who knows where but the child was given the names John Billingham Linnett. His father must have kept an eye on him as he attended his son's wedding and signed the register. They both signed as John Billingham Linnett.
His mother Mary Linnett went on to marry a Mr. Jones when John was 5 and left him with his grandparents.
To have one illigitimate child is a bit of a shame(for the child). To have two "looks like carelessness" but, given the times and conditions, it happened. She may have been a domestic servant somewhere and been taken advantage of!
Looking through Norfolk baptisms there are several cases of a woman having two illigitimate children.... so it was not unusual.
You can go on looking but sometimes we are not going to find answers.
M

[Angelaj]

There are two families in particular from my tree living in a Bedfordshire parish in the 1800s that seem to have had a very relaxed view towards children born out of wedlock. Quite often more than one child was illegitimate but in all the cases I've found so far the father was the same. So, for example, Mary had two children with Mr. Cole but never married him.
In one case they lived together with their children, presumably as commonlaw man and wife. In looking at marriage entries in the PR it's quite common to find that the father of the bride or groom doesn't have the same surname. Some of these may be 'adopted' children from second marriages but having had a good look at the baptisms I think the majority of them are illegitimate. Occassionly a note is made against a child's baptism to say that the parents have now married, but not very often with my lot. I'd like to think that this wasn't a particularly immoral parish, and illegitimacy was more widespread and in a lot of areas more acceptable than we tend to think.
Angelaj

[benny1982]

The occupation of a domestic servant increased the amount of illegitimate children. The female servant may have had a relationship with the man of the house but it was often a male servant.

Ben