ILLEGITAMATE CHILDREN - NOT A MODERN PROBLEM.

Many people consider that sex before marriage and single women becoming pregnant is a new modern thing, bought about by the promiscuous society in which we live.
But in reality the issue has been around since the dawn of man. The difference being that our ancestors either hid the issue better or the lesser media meant less attention on the subject.
Having researched my family tree back 10 generations, to the early 1700's, it has become noticeable that in nearly every generation there are cases of either children born before their parents married, or single mothers bringing up children on there own. Many of these cases show the child's place of birth being in a different town to where the mother lived, this being because the mother is sent to live with relatives during the pregnancy.
The Victorians preached alot about the sanctity of marriage, but this was mainly because they did not want their children to make the same mistakes they made. This was a very admirable thing for them to do, but does it really mean they can be portrayed has holding the morale high ground.
Personally, I believe in the sanctity of marriage and the benefits it brings to a relationship. But that does not mean that people who act differently should be chastised, and I am certainly not ashamed of my ancestors because of their actions.