Synopses & Reviews
This book analyzes how poor eighteenth-century London women coped when they found themselves pregnant--their survival networks and the consequences of bearing an illegitimate child. It suggests that unmarried mothers did not constitute a deviant minority within London's plebeian community. In fact, many could expect to find compassion rather than ostracism a response to their plight.
About the Author
Tanya Evans is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Contemporary British History, University of London.
Table of Contents
Introduction * 'The Insecurities of Life and Trade': Work, Community and Personal Life in Eighteenth-Century London * Courtship, Sex and Marriage in Eighteenth-Century Popular Literature * 'Craving Charity': Poor Mothers and the Public Philanthropic Imagination * 'Unfortunate Objects': Petitioners to the Foundling Hospital * The Duty of Poor Mothers in Eighteenth-Century London * Childbirth * 'Be So Good as to Remember Where This Child Goes to': Poor but not Hopeless * Conclusion