The Poor Act of 1575 described bastardy as ‘an Offence againste Godes Law and Mans Lawe’. But what did this mean for those accused of such an offence, and what did it mean for their children?

Discover more about illegitimacy in the archives, from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth century, and learn about the sources held here in Devon that you can use to trace your illegitimate ancestors.