The most common murder victim in 19th century Australia was a baby, and the most common perpetrator was a woman--a fascinating story of the most infamous legal trial in Australia In October 1892, a one-month-old baby boy was found buried in the backyard of Sarah and John Makin, two wretchedly poor baby farmers in inner Sydney. In the weeks that followed, 12 more babies were found buried in the backyards of other houses in which the Makins had lived. This resulted in the most infamous trial in Australian legal history, and exposed a shocking underworld of desperate mothers, drugged and starving babies, and a black market in the sale and murder of children. Annie Cossins pieces together a dramatic and tragic tale with larger than life characters: theatrical Sarah Makin; her smooth-talking husband, John; her disloyal daughter, Clarice; diligent Constable James Joyce, with curious domestic arrangements of his own; and a network of baby farmers stretching across the city. It's a glimpse into a society that preferred to turn a blind eye to the fate of its most vulnerable members, only a century ago.

The artist behind Chronicle's bestselling In My finger puppet books and the Petit Collage line of children's décor has turned her talents to a brand new series of charming books. Here readers will find a beautiful little book: Turn the pages to find the baby animals matched with their parents, and learn some early concepts along the way.

In this short book, author Sylvia Perrini profiles eleven Baby Farmers. Baby farmers both repulsed and fascinated the public of the day. The term "Baby Farming" was first used by the British Medical Journal in 1867, in an article entitled "Baby-Farming" in which they described a mother who had turned her children over to the "baby farmer" with the clear understanding that they would be neglected until they died. Over the course of the following year the British Medical Journal, published in a series of sensationalist pieces that many baby farmers committed serial infanticide. The articles attracted a great deal of attention and brought the term "baby farming" into widespread use. Baby farmers were women who looked after children for a fee. Legitimate baby farms supplied a much in demand service for unmarried, pregnant women in the Victorian era. The majority of baby farmers were caring and honest. A number of them, though, abandoned, starved, or even killed the infants in their care to increase their profits. Barely a week would pass without the police finding a little corpse abandoned in a railway carriage, left on the banks of a canal, or thrown into the swiftly flowing River Thames. There were strict laws against the mistreatment of animals but, until 1872, there were no such laws to govern baby farmers. Anyone could be a baby farmer; there were no regulations to conform to, no qualifications to be met, no paperwork, and no supervision of the premises or type of care the children received. For the middle-classes, baby farms offered the perfect solution. The pregnant daughter would be sent to the country and once the infant was born, he or she would be farmed out and, all being well, forgotten. The battle against baby farming was fought more or less continuously from 1865, to 1943, seventy-eight years to push through effective legislation to regulate this "social evil."

A first novel, based on a London murder trial of the 1870s that exposed the practice of baby-farming. This business was associated with crime, lust and greed on the part of those who were paid to look after the babies of women unable to care for their children themselves. The author has previously published three collections of verse.

Mrs. Amelia Dyer was probably the most notorious baby farmer, but she was not working in isolation. The wider story of the myriad of others also classed as baby farmers is told here. Detailing the stories of over 100 baby farmers, the good, the bad and the murderous, it looks at why baby farming became so prevalent during the Victorian period. Why did so many mothers choose to hand their babies over to the care of these people, usually, women? What 'care' was meted out to the innocent victims of these crimes? How did baby farmers come to the notice of the authorities, and how did the police track down the perpetrators of this darkest of businesses? What were the punishments meted out to them? And how, eventually, the practice was brought to an end? Find the answers to the questions about the darkest business to be carried out during the Victorian and early Twentieth Century periods in this book that traces the stories of so many baby farmers, many of whom have not had their stories told before. Was there a baby farmer in your family? Did one of your ancestors survive a baby farmer, or had they found a good family to give them the love and care a child needs? This book not only tells of a business that has long gone for its historical interest, but also, can be of use to family historians, and social history researchers.

In October 1892, a one-month-old baby boy was found buried in the backyard of Sarah and John Makin, two wretchedly poor baby farmers in inner Sydney. In the weeks that followed, 12 more babies were found buried in the backyards of other houses in which the Makins had lived. This resulted in the most infamous trial in Australian legal history, and exposed a shocking underworld of desperate mothers, drugged and starving babies, and a black market in the sale and murder of children. Annie Cossins pieces together a dramatic and tragic tale with larger-than-life characters: theatrical Sarah Makin, her smooth-talking husband John, her disloyal daughter, Clarice, diligent Constable James Joyce with curious domestic arrangements of his own, and a network of baby farmers stretching across the city. It's a glimpse into a society that preferred to turn a blind eye to the fate of its most vulnerable members, only a century ago.

Investigative journalism of an incident that occurred in North Africa. Fiction. The plot involves characters from: Egypt, Libya, USA, UK. Action occurs mainly in: Egypt, USA and UK.

Seventeen-year-old Hannah Winter is seven months pregnant and married... to the wrong man. When it appears that her true love has abandoned her, she is forced to marry a brutal man, for it's 1885, and her only choice is to marry someone, anyone, or give up her baby. But once her daughter is born, her cruel husband sells the child to a baby farm. Outraged, Hannah attacks him only to be beaten and imprisoned. Now it is up to Claire Sargent and the girls of the Secret Society of Sugar and Spice to plan a daring escape and spirit Hannah away to safety. But once rescued, Hannah won't leave... without her daughter. Claire and the girls of the Secret Society face their most daunting mission yet, for not only must they find the baby girl, they must steal her away.

The most common murder victim in 19th century Australia was a baby, and the most common perpetrator was a woman. Annie Cossins pieces together the fascinating story of the most infamous legal trial in Australia to reveal an underworld of struggling mothers, unwanted babies, and a society that preferred to turn a blind eye. 'The book's power stems from its devastating details; Cossins establishes a tone so vivid it's reminiscent of Dickens.' Publishers Weekly In October 1892, a one-month-old baby boy was found buried in the backyard of Sarah and John Makin, two wretchedly poor baby farmers in inner Sydney. In the weeks that followed, 12 more babies were found buried in the backyards of other houses in which the Makins had lived. This resulted in the most infamous trial in Australian legal history, and exposed a shocking underworld of desperate mothers, drugged and starving babies, and a black market in the sale and murder of children. Annie Cossins pieces together a dramatic and tragic tale with larger than life characters: theatrical Sarah Makin; her smooth-talking husband, John; her disloyal daughter, Clarice; diligent Constable James Joyce, with curious domestic arrangements of his own; and a network of baby farmers stretching across the city. It's a glimpse into a society that preferred to turn a blind eye to the fate of its most vulnerable members, only a century ago. 'A very moving book.[It] brings to life the awful poverty and the immoral 'morality' of the times. conditions which broke that most sacred and powerful bond - between mother and baby - and broke the hearts of impoverished young women.' - Gabrielle Lord 'A very readable and accessible history of a terrible time. The writer has a passionate grasp of her subject and her time.' - Kerry Greenwood 'Cossins is both relentless in her search, and engrossing in her writing' - Lucy Sussex