Re Kincardine O'neil

[jessienicolson]

I am at a loss to understand the following baptism in the Kincardine O'Neil parish registers.
John, son of John Reid and his wife Elizabeth Collie, baptised 1792.
This couple were not married and never married. And they were the only couple with no abode/address given.  All the others in the Parish Registers, gave abode/address.

When John Reid died in 1876, it states his parents ie John Reid farmer and Elizabeth Collie, domestic servant, which also indicates the couple never married.
Also at the very bottom of the death cert, it is written "illegtimate".
Kincardine O'Neil Parish minutes are not available for that period which may have given a clue abou it.
Can anyone shed some light on this please?

[JMStrachan]

Several possible reasons for this, but difficult to know which reason it may be.

They may not have been known to the minister, and told a bit of a fib. Or they may have been informally married, which was not uncommon in Scotland.

Another reason is that baptisms rarely took place in the kirk. The minister may have baptised the infant somewhere else, and written a note of the details or simply trusted to his memory. And then when it was written up in the parish register a mistake was made.

Illegitimacy was sometimes investigated by the Kirk Session, but the minutes are only available to search in person in Scotland.

[jessienicolson]

Thank you for your reply.  I am told that the Kirk Session minutes for the period I am interested in, must have been lost etc.  Just my luck.

[jessienicolson]

John Reid born 1792's death cert does state he was illegitimate.