‘Train them in Habits of Morality’: Did Boarding out Deter Poor Law Children from Getting Married?

Abstract

How prevalent was marriage for children who were removed from their birth community by the poor law authorities? This article investigates whether children who experienced intervention from the Islington poor law authorities during the late nineteenth century were deterred from marrying and having children as adults. To answer these questions two samples of children were assembled and traced through various records. The first sample consisted of children who were sent to foster homes in rural communities and the second consisted of siblings of the first group who were not boarded out. Although the sample sizes were relatively small due to the extensive archival research needed to answer these questions, the analysis suggests there is a possibility that relocation had an impact on marital formation and childbearing but did not necessarily sever a child’s connection to their birth community. Children who were boarded out were less likely to marry, or have children, compared to those who stayed in Islington. However, they often retained strong connections to their birth community and/or biological family members. This article also explores instances of irregular family arrangements including illegitimate births, possible cohabitation, marital separation and one instance of a potentially bigamous marriage.