What is a conditional baptism??

[Tees]

Hi Rootschatters,

This is the question I always wanted to ask but never got a chance to ask!!

I noticed on few baptisms I have on some of my ancestors and they noted: conditional baptism.

What is a conditional baptism?? I always thought you have to be baptised or not at all.

But conditional one??

Hopefully, someone could enlighten me on this subject.

Thanks,

Tees

[KathMc]

Tees,

Were these baptisms of adults? My great-great-grandfather was "conditionally baptised" four days before he got married and someone explained to me that there were several steps an adult had to go through to be "officially" a Catholic. I think they had to get through first communion to make it official. I don't think he ever finished with the process, as we can't find him anywhere. He is not buried with his wife in the Catholic cemetery. He is my biggest brickwall at the moment.

Kath

[Tees]

Hi Kath!!

Oh, yes--two of them were adults and other is a young child.

Thank you for this explanation! Quite helpful in understanding why I have these baptisms.

Sorry about your brickwall on your great great grandfather. Hope you could find him!

Kind regards,

Tees

[stanmapstone]

A baptism administered to persons in respect to whom it is doubtful whether they have or have not been baptized before.

Stan

[behindthefrogs]

See the following definition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conditional_baptism

David

[Shropshire Lass]

I love this site!  The questions raised are always teaching me new things.

Keep on asking those questions -
Monica

[stanmapstone]

In the Church of England this is known as a Hypothetical baptism. Spurious Baptism meant an illegitimate child. The term “half-baptized” refers to private ceremonies; it is defined in the N.E.D. “To baptize privately or without full rites, as a child in danger of death.”
Where a private baptism is employed, there is a further rite (if the child survives) of reception into church. Some vicars used "Christening" to mean the public part of the rite, so "Baptism" is the parts that are common to public and private baptism.  However, in normal usage they are just different words for the same thing.

Stan

[Shropshire Lass]

Like Stan says, I have some parish records entries which say "Christened privately on (date), received into Church on (date).  Dates were usually a few weeks apart, presumably when the child was well enough to go through the public ceremony.

Would the first baptism be done by a vicar at the house or just by a family member?

I know that in the Catholic church, anyone can perform a baptism on a baby in the event of serious illness

Monica

[behindthefrogs]

Just to clarify what stanmapstone is saying.

A hypothetical baptism is probably the same as a conditional baptism.  Tha is the baptism of someone who has possibly already been baptised.

Half baptised, private baptism and spurious baptism all mean something different