Born and Baptised the same day.

[mickgall]

Hi all

Is there any significance to a child being born and baptised on the same day, was the child still born, or born out of wedlock? There is just the Mothers name. The entry is for Daniel Gaul, b June 10th 1787, Burgh Next Aylsham
Also in a lot of the entries for Burgh next Aylsham there is the entry delivered at the General.

Any ideas?

Thanks Mick

[Viktoria]

One of the common reasons was if the newborn was not expected to survive.
There was a lot of superstition about unbaptised babies not going to heaven,
 but staying in a state called Limbo,ie nowhere,not heaven or  hell.
As if a newborn baby could be said to have sinned!
That is largely not the case today,thank goodness.
Viktoria.

[osprey]

not still born as a dead child wouldn't be baptised. No father's name, so out of wedlock. Possibly the child was not expected to survive, so baptised immediately.

[groom]

When that happens it is often recorded as Private Baptism in the Parish Records. If the baby does survive it is then received into the church later on - hence some people thinking the child has been baptised twice.

[mickgall]

Blimey that was quick, thanks Viktoria, Osprey and Groom Some things to ponder there. Any ideas where/what the General was?

mick

[Brentor boy]

It would be quite in order for a member of the hospital staff, or any other responsible person, to baptise a poorly baby if it was feared that it might not survive until a formal baptism service could be arranged. 

If it did survive, it would then be received into the church at a later date. ( see Groom's post)

[mickgall]

thanks Brentor Boy.
The problem I have is trying to work out where /what the general was. This is in 1787 and even today Burgh is a small village. Lots of entries in the register refer to the General which I cant imagine was a General Hospital in Burgh and its a bit of a cart ride to Norwich if this is where the hospital was, also this is the first time I've seen mention of the word General in parish registers.

Mick


Mick

[osprey]

think it may be a reference to the annual return of the Bishops Transcripts. It appears in the burial register as well.

[Bookbox]

It reads ... at the generals, and relates not to any individual entry in the register but to the ‘general visitation’, when the bishop or his representative would visit the area at regular intervals and gather in the local parish registers for inspection.