Completed with thanks to Stanmapstone - Private Baptisms

[JoJoBuggins]

Hi

I have found my gr grandmothers sisters baptism,1865 a note on the side column says Private, which I presume means , a baby born very weak, near death.

Would a Private Baptism have taken place in the Church or at home?

What I noticed in the registers on a few other Baptisms, was the word Private followed by either a R or a D, just wondered if anybody knew if this meant anything

Jo

[Jebber]

A Private Baptism could be in Church or at home, most usually at home where it could be done my a midwife or anyone. If the child survived they are later received into the church, you often find another entry for this, some Vicars entered these in the back of the register, or in a separate notebook.


Not sure about the R  & D you refer to, but R could denote received and D died.
 others may be able to help you there.

Jebber

[JoJoBuggins]

Many thanks

Must admit did think the D could have meant died

Jo

[stanmapstone]

A private baptism is that which may be administered at any time or place according to the exigencies of necessity, i.e. if the child is not expected to live. Where a private baptism is employed, there is a further rite (if the child survives) of reception into church.

Stan

[JoJoBuggins]

Stan

Would there be another record then if they survived?  I could'nt see anything else

My great grandmothers sister lived till 1927, she was known as Tiny, because of her height (apparently she was very tall)

Jo

[stanmapstone]

Hi Jo,
It would depend on the parish priest whether the rite of  reception into the church, which was required, was recorded. As The Prayer Book says, that those children who were baptized privately, were  truly and validly baptized, and that if such children " do afterwards live", they ought to be brought to the Church as soon as possible to be received as members of " the flock of true Christian people".

I have seen baptism registers where it says "X was privately baptised on ***** and received into the Church on ******"

Some vicars used "Christening" to mean the reception into church rite.
Stan

[JoJoBuggins]

Stan

Many thanks for explaning it for me

Jo