Genealogy Chat

i have a rellie who was illegitimate and had a private baptism. 8 years later she is 'received into the church' but is given a different christian name! Was this normal? Her birth was registered in her first name but she used both names later in life. Has anyone else come across this?

Private bp were usually done because the child was in danger of dying. Later on you were received into the church publicly. You can be given additional names when you are baptised. It was quite common for people with 2 forenames to be known by either, at their whim Jay

thanks for the reply janet. So being illegitimate had nothing to do with it? She was baptised three months after birth and given the name Mary. When she was recieved by the church she was given the name Ellen. In all census returns she is Mary but on her marriage certificate she calls herself Mary Ellen.

Its quite strange that she was baptised privately so long after birth, most are pretty sharpish due to the child's likely demise. What year are we talking about? Take it you found the birth registration. It is surprising how many kids were illegitimate - I dont think there was a lot of shock and horror about it.

I have discovered that a lot of the time illegitimate births were just considered a part of life! It was the Victorian middle class that seems to have reacted with shock and horror ................... but they were alos the biggest prudes! In many farming communities, villages and working class areas right up through the 19th century it seems that many if not most brides were at least pregnant when they married ................ it showed that they were fecund and would produce children to help with the work. One of my great grandfather's sisters had at least 4 illegitimate children, and was still living with her mother and the children on the 1901 census. It seems she never married! The 'upper' classes just sent their pregnant daughters away to have the children, and then married them off as soon as they could. The babies were either adopted out or raised as the grandmother's child.

Heather i think its strange too that she was baptised privately so late after birth and RC'd at the age of 8. Thats why i assumed its because she was illegitimate not because she was sickly . Her birth was registered before her baptism. Another peculiarity is that in the second baptism, 'William' is named as father but she still has her mothers maiden name despite her mother and William marrying four years previously. Whats more, her sister is baptised two months earlier but with William's surname! She was born and registered October 1843 and baptised January 1844

Well thats a pickle but I dont think you need worry about it being due to her illegitimacy - there must be another reason which may come clear later on in your research , e.g. was William already married - something like that. But the private baptism would not be due to the illegitimacy.

Now you mention it, William was married before but i havent been able to find out what happened to his first wife and children. In 1841 census, he is living on his own in the same area as his second wife.

Perhaps she was very ill at 3 months and was baptised in case she died. If she wasn't baptised and died, she would be buried in unconsecrated ground. I was 'privately' baptised in the late 1950's, in hospital by a rather religious nurse who took it upon herself. She gave me the name Olivia as i was born on St Olivia's day . My mum was furious and immediately sent my dad out to register me in a different name!! I have never been christened/baptised into a church - mainly because my parents weren't Christian!! maggie

Ah Shelly, that may be a reason she never had dads name at the birth or baptism. Look for a death of his first wife just before the time he remarried. Ive found a few of those - they waited til they heard the previous spouse had died.

thanks for your suggestions. i shall continue hunting for the missing first wife! michelle

I don't know if they may help:- Those who have been confirmed in a church whose ministerial orders are recognised and accepted by the Church of England and in which confirmation is performed by a bishop, or by a priest acting on the bishop’s behalf and using chrism blessed by the bishop, do not need to be confirmed. They are simply received into the Church of England instead. AND According to canon law, one becomes a member of the Catholic Church by being baptized in the Church or by being received into the Church (by making a profession of faith, if already baptized). It sounds like the child was confiremed into the Church when she was 8 but they could not say confirmed officially as her baptisum was not necessaryily in accordence with Church practice (she may not have had G_dparents or anyone making a declaration on how she would be brought up). If the second baptisum was hers also them because she was born before her parents wed and she was registered in her mothers name, offically that was her name so that is how she was recorded. I presume the sister was younger but she may have been taken to church and given dad's name during her baptisum because her parents were now married.

thankyou, lunar, for your reply its certainly given me food for thought! i did wonder about confirmation, when you take on a new name. I've ordered her birth certificate to see if that can give me any more clues. michellex