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A delicate request for help

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Gerry

Gerry Report 14 Oct 2015 17:01

I am trying to find the father of a girl born in 1928 on the Sussex Surrey border. Her father was not named on her birth certificate.

However, it is thought by some in the family that the father was actually sent to prison for making the underage mother pregnant. If I can find any records of court cases pertaining to this type of crime I may be able to identify the missing father. The actual offence would have occured in 1927.

I have been through the Surrey newspapers for 1927 on British Newspaper Archive site with no luck. They have no Sussex papers on there yet.

Can anyone suggest any other avenues or do you access to records that may help please.

BTW I don't think it would be appropriate for me to name any names for this type of enquiry

Gerry :-)

Rambling

Rambling Report 14 Oct 2015 17:41

May help to have a look at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/ at the Criminal trials in assizes courts section.

Otherwise try larger libraries in the area to see if they have newspapers going back to that date. Not sure that such a case would have been published though?

Researching:

Gerry

Gerry Report 14 Oct 2015 22:58

Thanks Rambling Rose. I will take a look.

Kucinta

Kucinta Report 15 Oct 2015 14:12

I wonder what would have been considered underage for sexual consent at that time?

Given that until 1929, when the minimum age was raised to 16, girls could marry at 12 and boys at 14, as long as they had parental consent.

I have no idea if the age of sexual consent was the same as the minimum age for marriage at the time, or not.

Researching:
Eayres (Northants/London) Walker (Surrey) Loveday (Northants) Moore (Tipperary)

brummiejan

brummiejan Report 15 Oct 2015 14:45

I think age was raised to 16 in 1880's??

Researching:
Myatt, Hanks, Eccleston, Powell, Clungunford, Birmingham

brummiejan

brummiejan Report 15 Oct 2015 14:49

Found it! Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885. Bad for homosexuals sadly, but very progressive in protection of women/girls. Interesting.

Researching:
Myatt, Hanks, Eccleston, Powell, Clungunford, Birmingham