from 2007, prior to 1844 the expenses of an illegitimate child were paid by the parish, so the parish would go to the father for recompense, thereby making the identity of the male parent easier to locate than after 1844, as it would be in the parish records. This was an article directed to those doing family research who knew, or suspected, that an ancestor was illegitimate, and wanted to know the identity of the parents. As a clergyman's daughter, Austen should have been familiar with this, so appears to be deliberate on her part to keep Harriet's parents a secret.