‘Out of Sight, out of Mind’: Infanticide, Baby Farming and Abortion in South and West Wales, 1870-1922

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This detailed and accessible book provides a history of infanticide, baby farming and abortion in Wales from the late-Victorian era through the turn of the century. Through an analysis of cases drawn from both rural and urban communities in south and west Wales, Smith reveals consistencies and contrasts between the accused women and their alleged crimes, while examining the changing attitudes towards child murder and insanity throughout the period. Drawing upon official trial records, press reports and asylum casebooks, this study explores the realities of unwanted pregnancy and infanticide during this period, an area of research that has previously been overlooked by historians of Welsh women’s history.