Baby farming in New Zealand

One of the most high profile cases of infanticide was committed by Minnie Dean in the late 19th century, also gaining infamy as the only woman in New Zealand to receive the death penalty for her crimes. During my childhood I heard many different stories of her hideous acts, made even more pertinent given that […] […]

Stunted near the start of life: Evidence for severe deprivation from London’s poorest 19th century parish — The Bioarchaeology of Childhood | Sian Halcrow

New research has uncovered the extent of the impact of ill health on the urban underprivileged during the Victorian era with finds of severe growth retardation of infant and child bones. The authors show that the social deprivation at Bethnal Green in London, UK, was so extreme that this affected the growth of the long […] […]

Register now – 1st SSCIP Biannual Lecture “Excavating Literature for Signs of Childness”

The first SSCIP biannual lecture will be taking place on 25th October 2017 at Staffordshire University.  “Excavating Literature for Signs of Childness” Dr Farah Mendlesohn Abstract In this paper I will discuss how narratives around significant historical events–in this case the English Civil War–have triple layered constructions of childhood, sometimes (but not always) attempting to […]

The 10th anniversary edition of Childhood in the Past is out now!

Take a look at the contents of Childhood in the Past – Volume 10.1 – 2017: Editorial – Ten Years of Childhood in the Past Eileen M. Murphy Invited paper SSCIP: The First Ten Years Sally Crawford Research papers Landscapes of Childhood: Places and Material Culture Margarita Sánchez Romero Child Bioarchaeology: Perspectives on the Past […]