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Remembered Today:

Pension Cards and Ledgers: Illegitimate Children


rolt968

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Matlock,

  I cheated and just put 'paternity' in the search function. It came up with only 1 result. I have also been reading the book, but there is quite a lot of it.

 

Regards,

Alf McM

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9 minutes ago, alf mcm said:

I cheated and just put 'paternity' in the search function. It came up with only 1 result. I have also been reading the book, but there is quite a lot of it.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

:-) M

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1 hour ago, alf mcm said:

 

RM,

   A search of the book mentioned in Matlock's link above shows only 1 mention of 'paternity'. See page 131. I must admit I am a bit confused by what it says for the Old Warrant. Under the New Warrant 5s. could be claimed for each illegitimate child, as long as an order was in force or there was proof of paternity.

With no paternity order in place it might have been difficult to prove the deceased soldier was the father, unless of course his name was on the birth certificate.

It could be that the mothers didn't know they could make a claim.

 

Regards,

Alf McM

 

Thank you, Alf.

I will look at that.

 

I will try to go back through the various cases I have come across and see if there is anything useful. I know I have one case of a man I wrote up four or five years ago when I knew there was one illegitmate child because the child was living with the man's father. However the pension cards mention two.

 

I know I have one case coming up soosn where I still haven't identfied the child. the information available about the guardian is very sparse. If nothing else I hope the 1921 census may help to solve the problem.

 

I have also found a case of one illegtimate offspring who applied to change his birth regitsration in 1936 to take his father's surname.

RM

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  I have a problem with a Royal Scot who got time off to visit his daughter who was born in Leith on 7th November 1916. There was no-one born on that date in Leith with him as the father, or born to a single mother. Either he made it up or the woman's husband accepted the girl as his own.

  I am sure I saw something online recently regarding paternity records. If only I could remember where!

 

Regards,

Alf McM

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  Findmypast have an index to Scottish Paternity Decrees, 1750-1922, which link to the actual records at The National Records of Scotland {fee required for copy of original}, The results at FMP would normally be enough, giving name, residence and occupation of  defenders and pursuers. Also shown is child's date of birth.

https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/scotland-paternity-decrees-1750-1922

  I don't know anything about English paternity decrees.

 

Regards,

Alf McM

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24 minutes ago, alf mcm said:

  Findmypast have an index to Scottish Paternity Decrees, 1750-1922, which link to the actual records at The National Records of Scotland {fee required for copy of original}, The results at FMP would normally be enough, giving name, residence and occupation of  defenders and pursuers. Also shown is child's date of birth.

https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/scotland-paternity-decrees-1750-1922

  I don't know anything about English paternity decrees.

 

Regards,

Alf McM

Thanks Alf,

I had missed that.

 

Looking through the various cases I am working on (for obvious reasons - no names!), I tracked down a lady named as the guardian of an illegitimate child. It turns out that she had had two illegitimate children one in 1914 and one in 1916. It is clear from the names which was the son of the soldier; but there was no mention of the father on the birth certificate.

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3 hours ago, alf mcm said:

Ancestry have an index to the same paternity records. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/70851/

 

Regards,

Alf McM

Thanks again, Alf.

I hadn't noticed those either. I see that the sources is Scottish Indexes (Indices?). I had seen that some of their databases were available but not noticed that one.

RM

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Scottish Indexes is another company which lists the paternity records. The original records are held at National Records of Scotland. They also have some interesting Scottish prison and asylum records, amongst others. Scottish Indexes will supply you with a copy of the original paternity decree for £5. The alternative is to go to NRS and view them for free {when you can get in}.

 

Regards,

Alf McM

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6 June (edited)
On 06/06/2021 at 11:07, alf mcm said:

I had noticed on the pension cards that the widow’s date of birth is usually given. This appears to be because she was given an increase to her pension of 1s.3d. per week upon reaching the age of 45,

Yes.  In fact it seems there was also an earlier uplift at age 35 and well as the 45 one.

Some would perhaps say because of a reducing chance of remarriage as she got older.

 

 

  Under the Old Warrant the widow's pension {for a Private} was 10s. This was increased to 12s.6. for women between 35 and 45, and to 15s. to women over 45.

The starting rate under the New Warrant was 13s.9d., increasing to 15s. at age 45. There was no increase at age of 35. {Hogge page 130}.

 

Regards,

Alf McM

 

 

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On 05/06/2021 at 18:13, PRC said:

but what is the pension increase for a child actually called?

 

Know this has been answered earlier - "Allowance" - but for more completeness, and hopefully for interest.

[I've had Allowance so in my head for so long I've forgotten all the places that idea came from!]

Recently forgot to include this further evidence in support of Allowance - Off the centre of the first/front side of a pension Ledger index card

641310339_WidowsPensionandAllowancesChildrens.png.c35aad63fce37959dc88e9154f6f35c9.png

Image courtesy of WFA/Fold3

 

Widow's pension granted by Article 11 of the Royal Warrant

and Child(ren)'s Allowance(s) from Article 12.

:-) M

Edited by Matlock1418
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  • 1 year later...
On 06/06/2021 at 11:25, ss002d6252 said:

The remaining 15s was for the 4 children

     5s for the 1st

     4s 2d for the 2nd

     3s 4d for the 3rd

     2s 6d for the 4th

One might wonder about the childrens' rates being based on nececessity or upon arithmetic ??? 

The following might perhaps give things away:

5s for the 1st = 60d

4s 2d for the 2nd = 50d

3s 4d for the 3rd = 40d

2s 6d for the 4th = 30d

M

Edited by Matlock1418
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10 minutes ago, alf mcm said:

That's interesting, and extremely logical.

But was it right/appropriate to the welfare and cost of raising children?

M

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3 hours ago, Matlock1418 said:

One might wonder about the childrens' rates being based on nececessity or upon arithmetic ??? 

The following might perhaps give things away:

5s for the 1st = 60d

4s 2d for the 2nd = 50d

3s 4d for the 3rd = 40d

2s 6d for the 4th = 30d

M

I would expect so - someone came up with a figure and then went 'ah, what if we just then...' . The actual rates to be given were well discussed in the 1915 pension report.

Craig

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4 hours ago, ss002d6252 said:

I would expect so

Sorry Craig, just to clarify - which methodology do you think was used?

Necessity?

or

Arithmetic? [a) in choosing and b) for multiple children addition purposes??]

4 hours ago, ss002d6252 said:

someone came up with a figure and then went 'ah, what if we just then...'

Certainly does rather look like a finger in the air type of arrangement.

Do you know if there was/is any published/accessible actuarial basis for these figures for children's allowances?  And/or for widows' pensions?

4 hours ago, ss002d6252 said:

The actual rates to be given were well discussed in the 1915 pension report.

Is this report readily accessible now?

M

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Just now, Matlock1418 said:

Sorry Craig, just to clarify - which methodology do you think was used?

Necessity?

or

Arithmetic? [a) in choosing and b) for multiple children addition purposes??]

Certainly does rather look like a finger in the air type of arrangement.

Do you know if there was/is any published/accessible actuarial basis for these figures for children's allowances?  And/or for widows' pensions?

Is this report readily accessible now?

M

There was a lot of talk about various figures to use and various presentations on different incomes, expenditures etc. I've not seen any specific actuarial calculations however on pensions past one in 1914.

Craig

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