Author Topic: Did Parish Clerks add to parish register after the event?  (Read 1229 times)

Offline LizzieW

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Did Parish Clerks add to parish register after the event?
« on: Monday 13 November 17 15:45 GMT (UK) »
I've found the baptism of one of my 1st cousin 3 times removed which was on 4 February 1862.  It shows his parents as George and Martha (deceased).  Now I have Martha's PDF death cert and I've also found her burial details and she died on 20 Feb 1862 and was buried on 23 Feb 1862, so she was still alive at the time of her son's baptism.

My query is would the parish clerk have written up the baptism records at a later date - the baptism dates on the two adjoining pages run from 19 January to 18 May - or just added (deceased) after Martha's name when she died just over 2 weeks after her son's baptism?  Sadly her son also died aged 4 months from convulsions with teething.

Offline smudwhisk

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Re: Did Parish Clerks add to parish register after the event?
« Reply #1 on: Monday 13 November 17 16:13 GMT (UK) »
It's possible it was added later but its equally likely the baptism wasn't entered into the register until after the burial.   It's known that the parish clerks wrote up the registers later and not on or just after the date of the events, hence the problems with errors in the details. The only registers that would definitely be completed on the day were the post 1754 marriage registers as they had to obviously be signed by the parties attending.  That said I recently saw a baptism entry which had had the child's burial date added some 60 years later. 
(KENT) Lingwell, Rayment (BUCKS) Read, Hutchins (SRY) Costin, Westbrook (DOR) Gibbs, Goreing (DUR) Green (ESX) Rudland, Malden, Rouse, Boosey (FIFE) Foulis, Russell (NFK) Johnson, Farthing, Purdy, Barsham (GLOS) Collett, Morris, Freebury, May, Kirkman (HERTS) Winchester, Linford (NORTHANTS) Bird, Brimley, Chater, Wilford, Read, Chapman, Jeys, Marston, Lumley (WILTS) Arden, Whatley, Batson, Gleed, Greenhill (SOM) Coombs, Watkins (RUT) Stafford (BERKS) Sansom, Angel, Young, Stratton, Weeks, Day

Offline LizzieW

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Re: Did Parish Clerks add to parish register after the event?
« Reply #2 on: Monday 13 November 17 17:42 GMT (UK) »
I wondered if that had happened, especially with the mother's burial only being about 21/2 weeks after the child's baptism.

Offline iluleah

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Re: Did Parish Clerks add to parish register after the event?
« Reply #3 on: Monday 13 November 17 18:02 GMT (UK) »
The parish day book is written as the 'primary' record, so at the time or close to the time of the event, from the information from the day book the parish record is copied, end of week/month and then a copy from the parish record to send to the Bishop ....... if you find the day book, the parish record and the BT you will often find different information for the same event.

So although most of us think of the parish record as the primary and best record it is always worth seeing if the day book survived and is available as that is more primary than the parish record book
Leicestershire:Chamberlain, Dakin, Wilkinson, Moss, Cook, Welland, Dobson, Roper,Palfreman, Squires, Hames, Goddard, Topliss, Twells,Bacon.
Northamps:Sykes, Harris, Rice,Knowles.
Rutland:Clements, Dalby, Osbourne, Durance, Smith,Christian, Royce, Richardson,Oakham, Dewey,Newbold,Cox,Chamberlaine,Brow, Cooper, Bloodworth,Clarke
Durham/Yorks:Woodend, Watson,Parker, Dowser
Suffolk/Norfolk:Groom, Coleman, Kemp, Barnard, Alden,Blomfield,Smith,Howes,Knight,Kett,Fryston
Lincolnshire:Clements, Woodend


Offline LizzieW

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Re: Did Parish Clerks add to parish register after the event?
« Reply #4 on: Monday 13 November 17 18:24 GMT (UK) »
Where would the day books be kept?  This family lived in Lincolnshire so a long way from where I now live near to where Hampshire meets Dorset.

Offline Guy Etchells

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Re: Did Parish Clerks add to parish register after the event?
« Reply #5 on: Monday 13 November 17 19:26 GMT (UK) »
Until Rose's Act came into law in 1812 the register was supposed to be filled in –
“And henceforth upon every Sabbath Day immediately after Morning or Evening Prayer the Minister and Churchwardens shall take the said Parchment Book out of the said Coffer, and the Minister in the presence of the Churchwardens shall write and record in the said Book the names of all persons christened together with the names and surnames of their parents, and also the names of all Persons married and buried in that Parish, in the week before, and the day and year of every such Christening, Marriage and Burial. And that done they shall lay up that Book in the Coffer as before; and the Minister and Churchwardens unto every page of that Book when it shall be filled with such inscriptions shall subscribe their names”

From 1812 the registers were supposed to be filled in as follows-

“That such Registers shall be kept in such separate Books aforesaid, and that every such Rector, Vicar, or Curate, or officiating Minister shall as soon as possible after the Solemnization of every Baptism, whether Private or Public, or Burial, respectively shall record and enter in a fair and legible Handwriting, in the proper Register Book to be provided, made, and kept at any said, the several Particulars described in the several Schedules herein before mentioned, and sign the same ; and in no Case, unless prevented by Sickness, or other unavoidable Impediment, later than within Seven Days after the Ceremony of any such Baptism or Burial shall have taken place”

Roses Act goes on to require that-
"XII. And be it further enacted, That when and so often the Copies of the said Register Books of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials as aforesaid, and also the said Lists of Births, Baptisms, Marriages, or Burials as aforesaid, shall be transmitted to the Office of the said Registrars respectively as aforesaid, pursuant to the Directions here-in before contained for that Purpose, the said Registrars shall respectively cause all the said Books and Lists to be safely and securely deposited, kept, and preserved from Damage or Destruction by Fire or otherwise, and to be carefully arranged for the Purpose of being resorted to as Occasion may require ; and the said Registrars respectively shall also cause correct alphabetical Lists to be made and kept in Books suitable to the Purpose, of the Names of all Persons and Places mentioned in such Books and Lists as shall have been transmitted to the said Registrars respectively, which alphabetical Lists and Books, and also Copies of Registers and Lists so transmitted to the said Registrars as aforesaid, shall be open to public Search at all reasonable Times on Payment of the usual Fees."

They should now be at the Diocese Archive.

Cheers
Guy
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Offline iluleah

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Re: Did Parish Clerks add to parish register after the event?
« Reply #6 on: Monday 13 November 17 21:39 GMT (UK) »
The first one I came across was at the records office and was not sure what it was, like an appointment book/diary, asked and was told it was the 'day book' so I have always called them that. That was for a Rutland parish.

Then  found another which was part of the parish chest information along with church invoices, account books and other church related records.

I was at a  village( Stickney Lincs) I was researching in and there was some sort of local event on and lots of local and family history books, records and papers were displayed in the church including the day book which had a locally taken village census in it (1865) dates and lots of information about  baptisms/marriages/burials.
Leicestershire:Chamberlain, Dakin, Wilkinson, Moss, Cook, Welland, Dobson, Roper,Palfreman, Squires, Hames, Goddard, Topliss, Twells,Bacon.
Northamps:Sykes, Harris, Rice,Knowles.
Rutland:Clements, Dalby, Osbourne, Durance, Smith,Christian, Royce, Richardson,Oakham, Dewey,Newbold,Cox,Chamberlaine,Brow, Cooper, Bloodworth,Clarke
Durham/Yorks:Woodend, Watson,Parker, Dowser
Suffolk/Norfolk:Groom, Coleman, Kemp, Barnard, Alden,Blomfield,Smith,Howes,Knight,Kett,Fryston
Lincolnshire:Clements, Woodend

Offline coombs

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Re: Did Parish Clerks add to parish register after the event?
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 14 November 17 13:43 GMT (UK) »
I think it did happen. Some clerks added details into a slip which they intended to put in a register but the slip was mislaid or they forgot, hence why you may get missing baptisms for children of a couple when you know from other records (wills, census, poor law) that there were more children to the couple. May be baptised in another parish but could have been omitted from the church register by accident.
Researching:

LONDON, Coombs, Roberts, Auber, Helsdon, Fradine, Morin, Goodacre
DORSET Coombs, Munday
NORFOLK Helsdon, Riches, Harbord, Budery
KENT Roberts, Goodacre
SUSSEX Walder, Boniface, Dinnage, Standen, Lee, Botten, Wickham, Jupp
SUFFOLK Titshall, Frost, Fairweather, Mayhew, Archer, Eade, Scarfe
DURHAM Stewart, Musgrave, Wilson, Forster
SCOTLAND Stewart in Selkirk
USA Musgrave, Saix
ESSEX Cornwell, Stock, Quilter, Lawrence, Whale, Clift
OXON Edgington, Smith, Inkpen, Snell, Batten, Brain