What are Bastardy Bonds and Maintenance Orders?
When a mother was expecting an illegitimate child, parish officials subjected her to an examination to try to determine the name of the father. They would then attempt to have him sign a bastardy bond which meant he was responsible for the maintenance of the child. The father would then have to pay a weekly sum to the mother to support the child. If the father refused to pay maintenance an application could then be made, by the mother, her family or parish officers, to the Justices of the Peace for a maintenance order. Bastardy records were, therefore, important documents in providing evidence as to the parentage of a child.
These records were usually kept in the Parish Chest and have been transferred to the Record Office. You will find
details of any surviving records in the parish catalogues which can be searched online.
After 1839 bastardy cases were heard in Petty Sessions Courts where Justices of the Peace issued maintenance orders. Unfortunately very few of these records have survived. From the latter part of the nineteenth century you will find brief details of maintenance orders in the registers of the courts of Petty Sessions and Magistrates. You will find details of our holdings of the courts of Petty Sessions and Magistrates in catalogues which can be searched online.
