I have just tried to help with a question elsewhere on adoption and it has fuelled me with a fresh question. Someone wanted to find a connection between a family who "adopted" an illegitimate child, and the family of the birth mother.
Unfortunately, I could find no connection. I had a similar situation in my own family and could find no connection there either, e.g. geographical, by marriage, or occupational.
Since adoption was not formalised until about 1926, I had concluded that a third-party was probably involved. My SE question is therefore: were there people who facilitated these arrangements back in 19th century England, e.g. for money? If there were then are there any documentary references?