ISBN: 9781334382239 - The Foundling Hospital for Wit: Intended for the Reception and Preservation of Such Brats of Wit and Humour, Whose Parents Chuse to Drop Them (classic Reprint) (3 results)

PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000.

PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000.

Paperback. Condition: New. Print on Demand. This book comprises the parliamentary speeches of Samuel Silence, founder of the Foundling Hospital for Wit in 1743. It contains the collected debates on whether to accept a foundling into the hospital and covers such diverse topics as the morality of exposing infants to the elements, the societal pressures on the parents of illegitimate children, and the difference between 'wanted' and 'unwanted' children. The author's anonymous status reflects the beliefs of the time, where anonymity was expected to protect against public censure and, in this instance, allow a man to speak the truth about the abandonment of children who were not born to the wealthy or well-connected. The book's significance lies in its record of the great debates around these children - often euphemistically referred to as 'brats of Wit and Humour' - and how they show the challenges women and their dependent children faced in 18th century Britain. This book is a reproduction of an important historical work, digitally reconstructed using state-of-the-art technology to preserve the original format. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in the book. print-on-demand item.…