Bastards

@Mod – do you want to move #1502 onwards to the ‘Off topic chat’ thread?

Sometimes abbreviated to f.l. the terms ‘filius legitimus’ or ‘filia legitima (legitimate son/daughter) are always written in Irish baptismal registers of the 1800’s and early 1900’s, both urban and rural, so it should be no surprise that ‘illegitimate’ or ‘bastard’ would be encountered, although I’ve seen the Latin version (illegitimus/a) more frequently. As Spurious says it can be a minor mention ‘(fil. illeg)’ or bastard in bold.

It was not unusual (although not very frequent) for the father to acknowledge paternity. If that happened the child usually took the father’s surname, if not it was given the mother’s. Even if paternity was not accepted, the priest would sometime write ‘father believed to be John Smith‘ or whoever. Also, it was not unusual for a couple to live together, have a child and subsequently marry. (Depending on the date and the country this could legitimise any living children of the couple.)

The Marriage Act of 1753 and the efforts to stamp out clandestine marriages had a huge influence on the recording of marriages and the subsequent status of offspring. All this must be viewed in the social & legal context of the day, an era when illegitimacy defined the legal standing of illegitimate child, one who had almost no rights of inheritance, could not enter Holy Orders without a dispensation, etc. The social stigma also was huge. When home birth was the norm and clothing was more voluminous, the pregnancy often was hidden and the child passed off simply as another sibling and raised along with its ‘sister’.

In Ireland immediately post-Independence, two factors had a big influence. Firstly the Roman Catholic moral code was enshrined in the laws of the fledgling state. This was done subtly - the RC Church exerted a hugely powerful control on society (the electorate) which then elected officials who influenced state policy with legislation reflecting and upholding the views of ‘society’. Secondly, there was a conscious effort by the State to distance itself from anything considered ‘British’. Birth outside wedlock was viewed as ‘un-Irish’ and the resulting vision of what should constitute pure Irish maidenhood led to the shoving of the pregnant unmarried out of sight.

Becoming a member of the EU, growing sexual liberation and Ireland’s economic growth led to a change in outlook. As views, attitudes and beliefs changed, legislation had to adjust to reflect the changing societal stance. The impact of social welfare support has had a major influence, not just by simple financial support, but also the availability of housing.
About one third of Irish births are now outside marriage. Chart