X's on Parish Records

[ele002]

Whilst going up through the generations of a certain family, I noticed a 'X' had been put next to quite a few of their Christening and Burial entries at St Peter, Blackley. They don't seem to have been done as part of the actual entry.

I then found a possible Christening for the family at the Cathedral and this had a 'X' next to it.

Does anybody know the significance of it or come across it themselves? I do have an idea, but I would welcome some suggestions, please.

[craggagh]

Hello -

In transcripts it usually means that the person beside whose name the X appears was unable to write and signed the X as his or her mark.

craggagh.

[stanmapstone]

Can you give a link to the records if they are available online

Stan

[ele002]

They are the actual images, not transcripts.

Stan: I've attached part of one:
eg:
Adam Oldham chrs 23 Jan 1725
Alice Oldham chrs 21 Apr 1754
Sarah Oldham chrs 12 Jul 1752...Alice Oldham chrs 21 Apr 1754 on same image.

And others.

[StanleysChesterton]

Long shot/making it up: Maybe in the past, some dim and distant genealogist was going through looking for evidence to prove something.  Or to prove rights to access to parish relief based on other past family members.  Or maybe to prove that X isn't too closely related to Y before they were allowed to marry.

Somebody's sat down and gone through and is making a mark so they can check/retrace their steps as they built up their information.

Or maybe somebody looking for a lost granddad

[ele002]

An interesting thought, but who would have had access to the registers and why only this family?

[StanleysChesterton]

An interesting thought, but who would have had access to the registers and why only this family?

It's only quite recently that many churches have handed over their actual/original registers into proper archival storage.  So, if you went back just 100 years and knocked on the vicar's door when he wasn't in a hurry - and if you were well presented with a good reason/line of enquiry, he'd have got the originals out for you and said "there you go".

And, there's the possibility that the vicar/his assistant did the deed themselves for somebody who had an enquiry.  They used to charge per lookup etc.

[stanmapstone]

An interesting thought, but who would have had access to the registers and why only this family?

You can search the Registers held in a Church today.

The Table of Parochial Fees 2015 lists the charges for searches in Church Registers
https://www.churchofengland.org/media/2091786/fees%20table%202015%20a3%20version.pdf

Stan

[stanmapstone]

It's only quite recently that many churches have handed over their actual/original registers into proper archival storage.

It was the Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1978 that required that all non-current registers and records which were over 100 year old must be deposited in the Diocesan Record Office and registers whose earliest entry are 150 years old.  The 1978 Measure was brought up to date by the Church of England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure 1992, which came into force on 1st January 1993.Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials and registers of banns, confirmations and services when completed have to be permanently deposited at the Diocesan Record Office. Where Parish Archives remain with an incumbent they should be available for inspection 'at all reasonable hours' and fees are payable as set out in the 'Table of Parochial Fees'

Stan