Being thrown off the scent.

[coombs]

I am sure we have had this before, due to lack of detail in parish records, you find a baptism of someone in a parish in say 1766 and other evidence strongly suggests they are the right ancestor (such as marriage witnesses, poor law records or wills etc), but then a year later in 1767, you find a burial of someone with the same name and it says "infant" but no more info apart from the name, date and infant. The pesky burial makes you doubt things, especially if you cannot find another baptism in the same parish or a nearby one of someone with the same name. I suppose lots of babies died un-baptised. Or the couple had another child and gave them the same name as their deceased older sibling, but did not baptise the namesake younger sibling. Hence why things can get confusing.

[Viktoria]

People were pretty superstitious about Baptisms,often the belief persisted that an unbaptised baby would not be admitted to heaven.
It would then stay in the state of Limbo for ever.
As infant deaths were so common it was usual to baptise a baby almost immediately.Babies too sick to attend church would be baptised at home.
 Think of Jane Seymore ,her baby was baptised before she died (9 days after his birth .)
So I would say an unbaptised baby would be rare.
However dissenters like Baptists believe that you must be adult and fully aware of what is happening when you are baptised,hence adult baptisms for them.
Viktoria.


.

[Mart 'n' Al]

Vik, I've just said on another thread that I have a couple of instances of several siblings being baptised at once.

Martin

[Viktoria]

Yes Mart, I have heard of that too.
What sort of date and Cof E,or R.C or Non Con?
Some parents did seem to “ save them up” and get it over with in one go!
Viktoria.

[macwil]

My g'dad and 2 siblings were baptised on the same day in 1903 C of E.

[coombs]

People were pretty superstitious about Baptisms,often the belief persisted that an unbaptised baby would not be admitted to heaven.
It would then stay in the state of Limbo for ever.
As infant deaths were so common it was usual to baptise a baby almost immediately.Babies too sick to attend church would be baptised at home.
 Think of Jane Seymore ,her baby was baptised before she died (9 days after his birth .)
So I would say an unbaptised baby would be rare.
However dissenters like Baptists believe that you must be adult and fully aware of what is happening when you are baptised,hence adult baptisms for them.
Viktoria.


.

Thanks for the explanation. I have often seen private baptisms listed in the register, the vicar obviously went to the parents house to baptise the baby if they were too sick to go to church. Not sure if all private baptisms were noted in the register.

In June 1765, a Mary Huntley was baptised in Horsham, Sussex, daughter of John and Lucy. A Mary Huntley, infant, was buried in April 1766 in Horsham. So it would appear it is likely the one born in 1765. My Mary Huntley wed her first hubby Thomas Davey in 1782 and she remarried William Dinnage in 1792. Mary died in 1837, age given as 72. Witnesses to her first and 2nd marriage seem to connect to John and Lucy but a Richard Huntley wed Mary Davey in 1764 in Horsham. Mary Huntley, later Davey then Dinnage had a son Richard. An example of how you can be thrown off track.

Seems the Huntley's were connected but how I am not sure.

[Top-of-the-hill]

  I believe in extreme cases the midwife or whoever was assisting could baptise a baby?

[Kiltpin]

  I believe in extreme cases the midwife or whoever was assisting could baptise a baby?

Any confirmed Christian can baptise. In the Church of England, as part of confirmation classes, candidates are taught how it is done. My grandmother baptised my youngest aunt (her last child).   

Regards 

Chas

[BillyF]

" However dissenters like Baptists believe that you must be adult and fully aware of what is happening when you are baptised,hence adult baptisms for them.
Viktoria. "

Sorry, but this reminded me of someone who as an adult, was baptised in the sea and lost his false teeth !! This is true, it was on the South coast.