Thanks Maiden Stone for the link to the University of Hull thesis by Margaret Oliver. I look forward to reading >300 pages and this will take some time.
I always assumed that illegitimacy was frowned upon and probably condemned in 16th & 17th centuries. Also that around the time of Oliver Cromwell Puritans not only condemned illegitimacy but criminalized it as well. Therefore at this time puritan influence made attitudes judgemental about illegitimacy and this carried on into 18th century and beyond in protestant churches and communities.
In 1500s to mid 1600s Warwickshire parish records the information seen gives, name of child and it's father, date of baptism and parish; Kingsbury, Warwickshire for example. Occasionally the wife / mother's name is given.
I also saw many hundreds of baptism records for other family names as well as my mother's family name and illegitimacy is not mentioned. Although I saw some records of births / baptisms before the child's parents married (cross checking baptism dates and later a marriage date, they were surely born out of wedlock).
This is the reason I was asking if the church in the 16th century was more relaxed about illegitimacy than it was after puritanism in later 17th century going into the 18th century?
Andy_T