"The Tranmere Baby Farming Case"

"The Tranmere Baby Farming Case"

Baby farming usually involves "illegitimate"infants of unwed mothers who pay so called 'caretakers' to retain custody of the infants in hopes of providing both the child and the mother a better life.  Many cases of baby farming appeared in the Illustrated Police News, showing how the issues regarding baby farming were prevalent throughout the Victorian Period.  The Tranmere Baby Farming Case appeared in Issue 817 on October 11, 1879.  John and Catherine Barnes were charged with the murder of three children who were placed in their care.  Though many children, especially in infancy could die due to illness, the Barnes had other cases of infant deaths, which acted as precedent for their current case.  The trial ended with the couple being charged with "willful murder and misdemeanour."  The deaths of the children were not done through physical violence, but through an extended period of malnourishment.  One witness was fourteen year old Mary Louisa Waller who, up until the Barnes' trial, had believed she was the Barnes' daughter, going by the name of Louisa Barnes.  Louisa was adopted by the Barnes in her infancy, which was proven after the Barnes' admitted her true identity.  Her story shows how the children's true mothers were no longer involved in their life, except possibly in terms of financial support.  The jury brought up the baby, Florence, who was said to be alive and no longer in the Barnes' custody, but "in the Tranmere Workhouse."  Perhaps Florence's true mother regained custody over the child.  It is important to note that women who sold their children gave caretakers both the child and paid them, which seems to mean that not only financial difficulties in raising the child led to a mother's decision to forsake custody of the baby, but shame as well for having a child out of wedlock. 

The illustration of this case was printed on the first page of the newspaper in its first block.  In highlighting this particular story, it seems that the newspaper seeks to give voices to those children, labeled as "illegitimate" who suffered wrongfully at the hands of exploiters.  In this sense, the Illustrated Police News does live up to its stated intentions in their first publication that the voiceless will be spoken for, however, it is easy to do so in regards to children, especially infants under the age of two years, whom society has overall labeled as innocent beings.  In terms of women who have engaged in premarital sex, it seems the newspaper remains biased in terms of gender stereotypes.  The voices of the mothers were mentioned but once in the article.  "It was wicked on the part of the prisoners and also wicked on the part of the persons who trusted their children with them" (Issue 817).  The mothers who gave up their children for adoption into the Barnes' household are villainized in the article, which shows how the Illustrated Police News does not always live up to the intentions cited on their first issue. Through labeling them as wicked, the mothers were categorized as perpetrators, rather than vulnerable people who were exploited by baby farmers.  Women who lost their virginity were not provided with financial or emotional support, which would have possibly enabled them to keep their baby, showing how misogyny within society is partially responsible for the numerous amount of infant murders at the hands of corrupt baby farmers.