Illegitimacy, Family, and Stigma in England, 1660-1834

Illegitimacy, Family, and Stigma is the first full-length exploration of what it was like to be illegitimate in eighteenth-century England, a period of ''sexual revolution'', unprecedented increase in illegitimate births, and intense debate over children''s rights to state support. Using the words of illegitimate individuals and their families preserved in letters, diaries, poor relief, and court ...