Deviant Maternity

This book explores the link between courtship, economic precarity and increasing levels of illegitimacy in 18th-century Wales. It also considers the diverse identities and relationships of the parents, and the lived experience of conception, pregnancy and childbirth for unmarried mothers.

Angela Joy Muir is a Lecturer in British Social and Cultural History at the University of Leicester.

Introduction Part I: Prevalence and Causes 1. Illegitimacy, Paternity, Courtship, and Poverty 2. Complicated Relationships and Diverse Identities - Moving Beyond Courtship and Poverty Part II: The Mortality Penalty 3. Illegitimate Infant and Maternal Mortality 4. Fatal Violence Against Illegitimate Children and Unmarried Pregnant Women Part III: The Experience of Pregnancy and Childbirth for Unmarried Mothers 5. Reading and Regulating Reproductive Bodies 6. The Provision of Care for Unmarried Mothers. Conclusion