History and Hearsay
On this podcast we discuss lesser known characters and events from history. Some of the details of these historical accounts may be debated and on this show YOU get to decided: Is it History? Or is it Hearsay?
History and Hearsay
Baby Farming - an Victorian Horror Story | Victorian Era Baby Farming
In 1834, a new law went into effect that shattered the lives of single mothers, forcing them into unimaginable circumstances. Many of these desperate women faced the heart-wrenching choice of surrendering their beloved children to the care of Baby Farmers. What awaited these innocent souls was beyond comprehension, a nightmare that no parent should endure. Join us in today's episode as we delve into the bone-chilling depths of Baby Farming.
~ I HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!! ~ Christina
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - INTRO
0:30 - TOPIC WARNING
0:54 - Working Class & Single women in the Victorian Era
2:54 - What was Poor Law?
3:48 - The Old Poor Law - 1600’s onward
5:51 - The 1662 Poor Relief Act
8:21 - Speenhamland System
9:57 - Things HAD to change
11:25 - The New Poor Law of 1834
15:39 - The Bastard Children Bill of 1810
16:52 - Incentivizing women to have illegitimate children
19:50 - Baby Farming
27:00 - Notorious Baby Famers:
30:28 - New Laws to protect children
31:19 - Present Day Baby Farms? + What is being done?
32:23 - Outro
The opinions expressed in these episodes are mine alone - the result of researching many different sources easily available online, Including contemporary news reports and original police papers, newspaper clippings & transcripts of court proceedings when available. These videos are for entertainment purposes only, please do your own research before taking any findings as facts - I will have my sources linked below each episode!
SOURCES:
https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/330139/ScheeleHM2020.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/oliver-twist-and-the-workhouse
https://victorian-supersleuth.com/the-lost-victims-of-amelia-dyer/
https://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/babyfarm.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-27/baby-farming-alice-mitchell-1907-perth-murder-trial/13090102
https://www.niph.go.jp/toshokan/koten/Britain/PDF/100718760003.pdf
https://murderpedia.org/female.W/w/waters-margaret.htm
http://reframingthevictorians.blogspot.com/2013/11/baby-farming.html
https://works.swarthmore.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1108&context=suhj