FOI-2023-1242
You asked
Do you hold a record of all abandoned children/foundlings in England? If so, can you tell me how many male children were foundlings/abandoned in 1942? Is it possible to search the separate register held for foundlings/abandoned children? If not, is this something that can be undertaken by your office on my behalf?
We said
Thank you for your request.
We hold electronic births registrations but unfortunately they do not provide any information relating to whether the child was a foundling or abandoned back.
The ONS Vital Statistics Output Branch published a report showing the number of entries on the Abandoned Children Register, which is maintained by the General Register Office (GRO), and is accessible via the following link: Birth Statistics metadata 2005 to 2014.
Therefore, GRO would have the information required to answer your inquiry and can be contacted on certificate.services@gro.gov.uk