ADOPTION
‘From 1 January 1927 adoptions could be legally recognised’
Piecing together the diverse and tantalising fragments of an adoption frequently involves painstaking research. Until the late 1920s adoptions were largely informal, rarely generating any meaningful paperwork and not enforceable in law. Organisations such as children’s homes and adoption societies were sometimes short-lived, and their records have not survived; other adoptions were intra-family adoptions, or ‘stranger’ adoptions, with no paperwork at all.
The situation changed significantly on 1 January 1927, when the 1926 Adoption of Children Act became law. Adoptions could now be legally recognised and recorded, and the adopted child had the status of a parent’s biological child, although it’s important to note that informal adoptions still continued for years. This legal process could be supported by intermediaries such
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days