ILLEGITIMACY

I n 1974 R a j i v Malhotra of t h e I n s t i t u t e ' s l e g a l s t a f f p repared f o r t h e I n s t i t u t e ' s use a paper on d e c l a r a t i o n s of p a t e r n i t y and leg i t imacy and i n 1975 Ingo l f Grape, a l a w s t u d e n t on t h e I n s t i t u t e ' s s t a f f , p repared a paper e n t i t l e d "Proof of P a t e r n i t y i n A f f i l i a t i o n Proceedings i n R. [...] Who was an i l l e g i t i m a t e a t common law and what w e r e h i s l e g a l d i s a b i l i t i e s ? Although Roman law d i s t i n g u i s h e d o t h e r c l a s s e s , a t common law t h e only important d i v i s i o n o f c h i l d r e n was i n t o l e g i t i m a t e and i l l e g i t i m a t e , t h a t i s t o say , those who w e r e begot ten o r born, o r presumed t o be L I b. [...] A s Coke s t a t e d t h i s f i c t i o n , By t h e Common Law, i f t h e husband be w i t h i n t h e f o u r s e a s , t h a t i s , w i th in t h e j u r i s - d i c t i o n of t h e King of England, i f t h e w i f e h a t h i s s u e , no proof i s t o be admi t ted t o prove t h e c h i l d a b a s t a r d ( f o r i n t h a t ca se , f i Z i a t i o non p o t e s t p r o b a r i ) , u n l. [...] H e g i v e s t h e example of a g i f t t o c h i l d r e n born a t t h e d a t e of t h e w i l l o r deed, and t h e on ly c h i l d r e n who f u l f i l t h a t d e s c r i p t i o n a r e i l l e g i t i m a t e and a r e known t o t h e t e s t a t o r o r g r a n t o r. [...] Where t h e r e i s upon t h e f a c e of t h e w i l l i t s e l f , and upon a j u s t and proper c o n s t r u c t i o n and i n t e r - p r e t a t i o n of t h e words used i n it, an exp res s ion of t h e i n t e n t i o n o f t h e t e s t a t o r t o u se t h e t e r m " ch i ld ren" n o t merely according t o i t s prima f a c i e meaning o f l e g i t i m a t e c h i l d r e n , b u t a.