Women On The Couch

Sisters as Mothers

In this video talk with slides, Prophecy Coles shares her research on the history of adoption and its link to illegitimacy. This means going into the very painful history of ‘bastardy’ and the way the unmarried mother and her baby have been castigated. She describes the work of three remarkable women who helped to change the social prejudice against mothers who had children out of wedlock. She is calling these women the ‘Sisters’ of Mothers who were despised and thought to have born rotten fruit. These women are Mary Carpenter (1807 – 1877) Clara Andrew (1840 – 1939) and Lettice Fisher (1875 – 1958).