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Burial of an "Abortive Child"

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Sonya

Sonya Report 29 May 2011 01:01

I came across this record recently, the like of which I haven't seen before.

Burial: 27 Apr 1814 St Mary the Virgin, Blackburn, Lancashire, England
abortive child Whittaker - Child of John Whittaker & Ellen
Abode: Blackburn
Register: Burials 1813 - 1818, Page 74, Entry 588
Source: LDS Film 1278820 - LRO Ref PR3073/1/81

Was it commonplace for Clergy to bury miscarried/stillborn infants, and if so would it be in consecrated ground? Or would they have to be buried in unconsecrated ground as they weren't christened? Would there be an area set aside for these poor little souls?

Researching:
Needham/Bagshaw in Derbyshire, Calland in Lancashire, Rudd in Hull/Norfolk, Wallace/Guinan in Ireland

patchem

patchem Report 29 May 2011 07:10

Try this
http://books.google.com/books?id=LS-t_gVxDWUC&pg=RA1-PA117&lpg=RA1-PA117&dq=burial+consecrated+ground+unbaptised+england&source=bl&ots=68b7cBfxSc&sig=JQsgzpmBmTsvjAvCyP7dH-Bui54&hl=en&ei=SeLhTejgHoLLhAe575HzBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
and this
http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england/unbaptized-children.html

Sonya

Sonya Report 1 Jun 2011 12:09

Thanks patchem. I'll have a look.

Researching:
Needham/Bagshaw in Derbyshire, Calland in Lancashire, Rudd in Hull/Norfolk, Wallace/Guinan in Ireland

Sonya

Sonya Report 1 Jun 2011 12:25

Quote from the mysteriousbritain.co.uk link provided by patchem-

"Sometimes a Parish Minister may have allowed the child to be buried just within the walls of the churchyard, but without any funeral or memorial marker. The burial would also not be recorded, just as no record would exist of their baptism and this had an effect on national statistics as these children would officially not exist."

Yet the burial of the Whittaker baby IS recorded in the Parish Records
It seems, then, that I have stumbled across an unusual record.

Researching:
Needham/Bagshaw in Derbyshire, Calland in Lancashire, Rudd in Hull/Norfolk, Wallace/Guinan in Ireland