Does the National Library hold any records of adoption?
Ateb
| The legal process of adoption did not commence until 1927, and the General Register Office holds the Adopted Children's Register from this date. A special form (CAS54) must be completed to obtain a certificate of a register entry. The index to the register, which can be consulted at the Family Record Centre in London gives the adopted name of the child and the date of adoption. The certificate itself gives the court's name, the date of the order, the date of the child's birth and the names, occupation and address of the adoptive parents but does not reveal the child's name prior to adoption. Access to adoption papers can be granted to a person's descendants, but an application to court has to be made. However, if an individual has been adopted before 1927, the term adoption often meant guardianship or fostering. Records, if prepared at all and have survived will be very difficult to trace as they were usually private arrangements. However, there are records for some charities that have survived, such as Dr Barnardo's. The records for Dr Barnardo's are held at the Liverpool University and can be searched by postal application only sent to the After-Care Department, Barnado's, Tanners Lane, Barkingside, Essex IG6 1QG. |