I know it's a big ask - but can anyone help with this one?

[IgorStrav]

Another baptism:

St John, Limehouse

20 Sep 1862

Emma, born 02 Feb 1858, illegitimate dau of Francis (Clarke), labourer, & Sarah Burton, of 2 Union Terrace.

Privately baptised.

At the same church 26th July 1862, Elizabeth Burton, daughter of William and Sarah - text only on Ancestry, so no confirmation that this is Emma's half sister, the last child of William Burton and Sarah.

ADDED: I see I can select this record set and look at the images, so am doing that now No I can't, the pages are missing for this section of 1862

avm, how were you able to see the text of Emma Burton/Clark's baptism?

[IgorStrav]

Just wanted to thank you for your help with this one.

I have just got the PDF of the birth cert of Emma Clark for 2nd Feb 1858 and it confirms she is the daughter of Francis Clark and Sarah Clark "late Burton formerly Wayling" which has confirmed my great great grandmother's maiden name - yay!

She was born (apparently, according to the 1851) in Wapping, Middlesex, but I cannot as yet find a baptism for her or see any other likely Wayling family members.

More research required, but many thanks for tracking down another surname.

[smudwhisk]

Another baptism:

St John, Limehouse

20 Sep 1862

Emma, born 02 Feb 1858, illegitimate dau of Francis (Clarke), labourer, & Sarah Burton, of 2 Union Terrace.

Privately baptised.

At the same church 26th July 1862, Elizabeth Burton, daughter of William and Sarah - text only on Ancestry, so no confirmation that this is Emma's half sister, the last child of William Burton and Sarah.

ADDED: I see I can select this record set and look at the images, so am doing that now No I can't, the pages are missing for this section of 1862

avm, how were you able to see the text of Emma Burton/Clark's baptism?

If you still haven't found images of the two, they are both viewable on Ancestry:

Emma - http://www.rootschat.com/links/01m3o/

Elizabeth - http://www.rootschat.com/links/01m3n/

[IgorStrav]

Thanks, smudwhisk, both your links are for Elizabeth Burton's baptism, I think, but paging onwards I did find Emma's baptism as Burton or Clark just as previously advised, a couple of pages further on!

That's great - added to the birth cert, I can have a better guess at William Burton's death date - still haven't found a definite one for him as yet.

I'm surprised that the baptism for Emma points out that she is illegitimate - I don't think Sarah ever married William Burton and there is no mention of illegitimacy on the baptisms of children from that marriage.

Do you think that perhaps Francis was known at the church and the clergyman knew they weren't married, as he hadn't married them? 

Or could this indicate that William Burton was still alive and they couldn't marry?  Francis definitely legitimised the marriage to his first wife.

And secondly what constitutes a 'private baptism'?

Any suggestions welcomed 

[alpinecottage]

I think a "private baptism" is when a baby is so poorly, it's not expected to survive for very long.  The baptism can then be performed at home by anyone (I think). Later on, a note can be made in the parish register so that the child's baptism is recorded just like any other child's.

[smudwhisk]

Thanks, smudwhisk, both your links are for Elizabeth Burton's baptism, I think, but paging onwards I did find Emma's baptism as Burton or Clark just as previously advised, a couple of pages further on!

No they both go to the correct images.  Emma is Image 81 and Elizabeth is Image 80 and each links to the correct page. I checked them anyway when I posted and have just checked again.

As alpinecottage says a private baptism takes place when there is the risk that a child won't be able to have a public baptism because of sickness.  They are normally, at least in those days, done at home.  Then, if they survive, they are received publicly into the church at a later date with an amendment added to the original or a separate entry in the register.  The latter sometimes state publicly baptised rather than received into the church but this is for the same reason.

[IgorStrav]

Apologies, smudwhisk - I tried it several times, or thought I did, and got page 80 all the time.
However, just tried again and, as you say, got pages 81 and 80.  Thank you very much for pointing me to them.

In terms of private baptism, thanks for your comments - I've done a bit more research myself, and it does seem odd that both Elizabeth and Emma were baptised privately a relatively long time after birth.  Elizabeth was 10 and Emma 4, so that 'unlikely to survive long' reason is slightly more unlikely, unless of course they were both ill at the time.

Some suggestions I have read for private baptisms are that godparents aren't available, or that there is no money for the very small celebrations you might have after a church baptism.

The second would certainly apply in this family, who lived in the particularly poorest bits of East London.

[smudwhisk]

If they hadn't been baptised and were ill, that would be another reason why they may have been baptised privately.  Generally it applied to newborn but not always.