Absent Fireguards and Burnt Children: Coroners and the Development of Clause 15 of the Children Act 1908
Absent Fireguards and Burnt Children: Coroners and the Development of Clause 15 of the Children Act 1908
复制标题
缺席的消防员和被烧伤的儿童：验尸官和 1908 年《儿童法》第 15 条的制定
DOI：
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发表时间：
2012
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
V. Holmes
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
V. Holmes
Government intrusion into the homes of the working-
classes gained momentum through the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. One hitherto unexamined
piece of legislation that sought to regulate behaviour was a clause in the Children Act 1908 pertaining to the use of domestic fireguards. This transpired because of the outcry of coroners who conducted inquests into the death
s of children fatally burned in their homes, supposedly a safe refuge, a space constructed as a maternal
responsibility. Coroners increasingly believed such accidents were a result of either maternal carelessness or negligence, especially those involving unguarded fires and absent mothers. Yet, limited by inadequate laws and unwilling juries, the coroner
could do little but admonish the mother. However, growing Government concern over the abilities of working-class mothers and the health of the nation finally brought the
issue of absent fireguards and burnt children to Parliamentary debate, culminating in a provision which appeared to have been aimed more at prevention than punishment.
