Baptism dues paid

[Jane Lucas]

I have a Baptism in 1747 at North Meols, Lancashire. There is a note added to the register (contemporary) to say ‘dues paid’. This is the only child in the whole register who has this note. The couple had a child baptised 2 years earlier and no such note was added.
Any idea what this might mean?
This question was asked in 2010 but the answers then don’t work for my baptism because the dates when such dues were paid are outside the date above.

[Milliepede]

Maybe they didn't pay up in a timely manner like the other parents.

[stanmapstone]

The Church of England has never charged fees for Baptisms, under Ecclesiastical law no fee can be charged for the administration of Sacraments. Individual incumbents may have expected a fee where there was an ancient custom "from time immemorial" to that effect. Legally "time immemorial" means before 3rd September 1189, the payment of fees could not be enforced if the custom in question did not exist, or could not have existed before this date.
 The only time official fees have been charged was when there were duties on Register entries imposed for five years 1694-8 by William III, and under the Stamp Act of 1783 (23 Geo. III, c.67) a tax of three pence was levied on each Church Register entry of birth, baptism or marriage, except for paupers. The parson or other receiving the tax was allowed two shillings in the pound for the trouble involved. There was such a popular outcry against this tax that it was speedily repealed in 1794 (34 Geo, c.11), however it is interesting to note the sudden increase in the numbers of those declared to be paupers over this short period.

 The Baptismal Fees Abolition Act was passed in 1872, under which no fee can be charged for baptism notwithstanding any ancient custom to the contrary.
Stan

[Jane Lucas]

Hi stanmapstone
Thanks for that. I do know that but nevertheless, the entry is clear on the register. Lancs OPC have copied it too. I just can’t understand it given that fees were not my payable as you rightly say.. except for a short period not including the year in question anyway.
It’s very odd. The father of the child in question died 2 years later and the older brother appears to have been ‘bound to’ a weaver as servant under the Poor Law Admin of North Meols. He was only 8. I can’t trace him after that. The child, William, of the dues paid issue seems to have done ok. He married and had children himself. He is my 5 x ggf. But when he married in 1771 the marriage entry says ‘married with the consent of guardians’ written beside both names. They were both 23, so that’s not normal either. I’ve checked Baptism Register. I don’t think there’s any doubt of their age. All v weird. I can’t trace the mother either after the birth of the children.. no burial found, though the father is buried in the churchyard where his children were baptised and the family descended from William have been in the area ever since.

[Maiden Stone]

          The child, William, of the dues paid issue seems to have done ok. He married and had children himself. He is my 5 x ggf. But when he married in 1771 the marriage entry says ‘married with the consent of guardians’ written beside both names. They were both 23, so that’s not normal either. I’ve checked Baptism Register. I don’t think there’s any doubt of their age.

Have you looked at other marriages in register around same time? "Married with consent of parents" was written after names of both groom and bride for a marriage in Lytham, 1820. Groom, who belonged to my family and was born in parish, was 25. Researching bride, I discovered that she was also over 21 and an orphan from County Durham. She had no need of consent and no parents to give it. Reading marriage register, I saw that every marriage on the page included "with consent of parents". Bride's elder sister married in same parish 4 years earlier, both parties over 21;  "with consent of parents" was on entry in marriage register. This bride was an orphan from age 16.

[Maiden Stone]

I have a Baptism in 1747 at North Meols, Lancashire. There is a note added to the register (contemporary) to say ‘dues paid’. This is the only child in the whole register who has this note. The couple had a child baptised 2 years earlier and no such note was added.
Any idea what this might mean?

Date of the baptism may be a clue. It was in March. The note "Dues paid" may not relate to that particular baptism. The year ended last week of March in old calendar. It was probably a note saying end of year accounts had been done. Modern financial year ends around same time.

[Maiden Stone]

The child, William, of the dues paid issue seems to have done ok. He married and had children himself. He is my 5 x ggf. But when he married in 1771 the marriage entry says ‘married with the consent of guardians’ written beside both names. They were both 23, so that’s not normal either. I’ve checked Baptism Register. I don’t think there’s any doubt of their age.

Are you sure the bride was 23? A Mary Abram was baptised early 1749 (1748/9 old calendar). If that was her she would have been over 21 but perhaps neither she nor her parents were sure of her age, so erring on the safe side the father was asked for consent. Otherwise it would have meant looking up her baptism to check.

[Jane Lucas]

Thanks Maidenstone.. you make a very good point about no one being sure of age.. Also, if William was an orphan, which is likely, then I can see that consent might need to be given whatever his age. I wonder who his guardians were? And why was his brother 'bonded' as a servant age 8? Though I suppose at least he could do something, whereas William was only 2 when his father died.

The dues paid entry isn't at the end of the year.. end of March.. and it is right beside William's name. So I don't think I can solve this mystery at the moment. I've never found where his father came from or where the parents married.. so I'm wondering if they'd come from outside the Parish and were asked to pay.. but then, I didn't think you could just move easily from one Parish to another at that time anyway.

All very confusing, but thank you for your help.

[medpat]

It may not have been official but the local vicar at my sisters baptism asked for 2/6p from each person present (there were several to be baptised that day) it was after November 3rd 1950, so either late that year or early 1951.

One woman was crying as she didn't have the money and her group couldn't make up the money. The vicar had already said he'd refuse to baptise a child if the money wasn't handed over. My father went to her and gave her the money.

I was there and my father and I spoke about it several times. It was our nearest C of E church - 5 or 6 years later the same vicar ran off with the Easter collection and a female parishioner. 

After these incidents my father made sure we were sent to the local Methodist chapel for Sunday School.