Adult Christening

[MattD30]

Is there anyway of establishing how old a person was when christened if it was an adult Christening? Or establishing an appropriate year of birth?

My ancestor Samuel Matthews (son of Abraham and Margaret) was christened in Nuthurst, Sussex in April 1687. His three sisters Margaret, Sarah, and Susannah were christened on 31 March 1689. These are all recorded on Ancestry and Familysearch. However I recently checked the original parish registers at the WSRO which states that each of these christenings was an "adult Christening"

I have Abraham senior's Will which gives the married names of his daughters. One of these marriages took place in 1694 (as second marriage) which would only make sense if the daughter was born in the 1660s or 1670s and not 1684. I do have one possible candidate.

So how old do we think "adult christening" means in the 17th century?

Thanks

Matt

[miw]

I would think anything over 21 if you are able to look through the register you might see if they usually give the age for a child as opposed to a baby, this would then give an idea of what was considered an adult.

[stanmapstone]

There is no age limit. The Book of Common Prayer for Adult Baptism i.e. The Ministration of Baptism to such as are of Riper Years and able to answer for themselves   http://www.rootschat.com/links/01jie/

Stan

[MattD30]

Thanks for those. I would estimate that the three daughters were probably born in the 1670s since I have found Susannah's marriages in 1692 and 1694.

[LizzieL]

An Abraham and Margaret Mathewes (sic) baptised a son John in Nuthurst on 10 Mar 1667. If Samuel and the three sisters were baptised as adults, but other information leads to suppose they were born about 1660 - 1670, it is likely John was a sibling and might have been baptised as an infant.

[Watson]

A possible reason for adult baptism is that the parents were nonconformists when the children were born.  It's not clear whether that happened here.  If they were Quakers, their births may have been recorded. 

Has it not been possible to find a marriage record for Abraham and Margaret?  Can the Sussex marriage index help with that?

[LizzieL]

I have a family who had their first child baptised in a Non- Conformist chapel when he was few weeks old. He was re-baptised when he was 13 at the same time as several younger siblings in a C of E church, the youngest of the set being 4 years old. Another child was born after the mass baptism, but the parents never bothered to get him baptised. He got himself baptised as an adult just before he married.

[stanmapstone]

Apparently there were differences of opinion in the Church of England as to the validity of non-conformist baptism, which is probably why he was baptised again at the insistence of the vicar.
Stan

[MattD30]

An Abraham and Margaret Mathewes (sic) baptised a son John in Nuthurst on 10 Mar 1667. If Samuel and the three sisters were baptised as adults, but other information leads to suppose they were born about 1660 - 1670, it is likely John was a sibling and might have been baptised as an infant.

I think you might be right with that christening. I also think I have found the christenings of two of John's sisters in Horsham in 1661 and 1664. I did to do some more research on the family but I now suspect that they may have originated in Horsham so the early christenings and marriages may be there.

The Will of Abraham Matthews jnr (dated 1727) may also provide more clues about the family structure, although I don't have a copy of that yet.

Matt