Same couple with huge gap in baptisms?

[Johnf04]

Genealogists must be beetroot coloured when they come across records like this......

[Chris Doran]

Yes, genealogy does come with a health warning: "If you are not prepared to discover uncomfortable truths about your ancestors ... choose another hobby."

I have been indexing our local Education Committee minutes which among other things list reasons for teachers' days off. Alongside the usual coughs and colds are a few appearances in court and a mistress with an illness from the above list. Probably the posh committee members didn't know what it was, but from the next month's minutes details are a lot less explicit!

[JenB]

I go back to 1803 and I can find a Richard Turnbull quarryman and JOANNE Anderson baptizing a 7th child (if memory serves).

No children were born between 1803/4 and 1812 which makes little sense.

I can't see a child baptised in 1803.

Maria was born May 1801 and baptised October 1802 and she was the 7th child. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6WL2-4K?i=183&wc=9K5S-7MQ%3A13618101%2C27752001%2C27752002&cc=1309819

Barbara was born December 1802 and baptised September 1806, she was the 8th child https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6WLJ-2Z?i=328&wc=9K5S-7MQ%3A13618101%2C27752001%2C27752002&cc=1309819

Richard was born June 1807 and baptised September 1807, he was the 9th child.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6WLK-8R?i=363&wc=9K5S-7MQ%3A13618101%2C27752001%2C27752002&cc=1309819

(Note immaculate and informative 'Barrington era' baptism records which include the native parishes of the parents!)

[louisa maud]

Yes, genealogy does come with a health warning: "If you are not prepared to discover uncomfortable truths about your ancestors ... choose another hobby."

Exactly, I had to have a serious word with a relation who was highly educated about what I found out about an aunt, he was very upset and sad, my words were " if we are going to do this we have to accept it all, it is history and we cannot change things", it is true, we cannot change what happened years ago

Louisa Maud

[Maiden Stone]

No children were born between 1803/4 and 1812 which makes little sense. I found a marriage for Richard Turnbull and Joan Anderson in 1788 in Eglingham, Northumberland but if that is correct, Joseph and Joan would have had Joseph 24 years after they married. Possible, but seems they would have needed to marry very young?

Any idea what is going on here?

I concur with Napoleonic Wars being a likely explanation. Richard might have been in army, navy or militia.
It's only age of Joan/Anne which is relevant. If she was in her teens at 1788 marriage she would have been in her 40s 1812-1814. One of my foremothers had her 1st child 1787 when she was 21 or 22 and her last in 1809.
As Jen has found Richard 1807 that leaves a gap of only 4 and a half years between births. Check for a burial between late 1803 and 1806 in case there was a stillbirth or neonatal death.

[JenB]

Check for a burial between late 1803 and 1806 in case there was a stillbirth or neonatal death.

The only burials  I can see are of daughters Mary (born c.1793) in 1806, and Maria (born c. 1801) in 1802.

[hilarykellis]

Check for a burial between late 1803 and 1806 in case there was a stillbirth or neonatal death.

The only burials  I can see are of daughters Mary (born c.1793) in 1806, and Maria (born c. 1801) in 1802.

Thank you, I also found the 1819 burial of Richard, Joseph’s dad, age 55 putting him born about 1764. And making him about 48 when his son was born...

[Ayashi]

One of my ancestors had army records where he was in and out with syphilis, syphilis, abscess, syphilis, abscess, gonorrhoea, abscess... I guess he was an active boy.

My great great grandmother had an illegitimate daughter, she alleged by Edwin Walker of the 16th Lancers. Now Edwin must have been a very virile man indeed, as he was in Kent at the time and she was born and bred on the Cornwall/Devon border, however he does exist and at the time of the conception was also in and out of the military treatment room with various STDs so he was probably a pretty active boy too. (The icing on the cake is that on the 1891 census her new husband inaccurately recorded that the daughter's birth was in Folkestone, Kent, which must have been where she was conceived as Edwin was just outside there).