Birth vs Baptism - did the priest record it?

[Naizam]

Haven't seen this yet in my research? It appears that whomever was recording the information, actually documented the age of the infant being baptized? Can someone confirm? Also, cant find Okeridge in the UK - is that the name of a farmhouse do you think?

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

[KGarrad]

I think that's supposed to be Oakridge - which is in Bisley parish

See: https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/GLS/Bisley/Gaz1868

[heywood]

Yes, it looks as though the ages - weeks or months have been recorded on the Baptismal day.

[Naizam]

Thank you all.

[barryd]

I have looked at hundreds of Parish Registers and this is the fist time I have ever seen the age. Some have day of baptism and day of birth, but never age.

[KGarrad]

Just to add, from the 1868 Gazetteer:

"OAKRIDGE, a tything in the parish of Bisley, county Gloucester, 3 miles N.E. of Minchinhampton. It is situated near the Thames and Severn canal and the line of the Cheltenham railway. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol, value £64, in the patronage of the bishop. The church is a commodious edifice."

[Guy Etchells]

The Register is the “new style” Register required to be brought into use in all parishes under Rose's Act of 1812.
The application of the above Act caused many Vicars to up their game and comply with the laws regarding record keeping. It was a time when many Vicars etc. recorded addition information possibly to avoid fines.

If one looks at the front of this particular Register someone has sellotaped what seems to be a 4 page hand written alphabetical index to the first 300 or so entries.

The first 14 entries completed as shown in the schedules by the Vicar E Mansfield, the The Rev. Mr. Cooke of Nailsworth Chapel seems to have taken over. (entries 15 to 24, he made quite a few mistakes and added detail such as “Base Child of” to the entries).

Entry number 25 by Rev. W. Moore was the first to contain the date of birth

The Vicar E Mansfield then seems to have returned and immediately starts (entry 26) adding the age in weeks or months.
Whether he was inspired by the  Rev. W. Moore's entry or perhaps he had been at some “conference” in the intervening period I do not know but something inspired him to give the addition information.

Many registers around the country also held additional information so perhaps there were informal discussions at the time.

This is why I like the old style option to browse the registers rather than simply blindly accessing a specific page.

Cheers
Guy

PS There is also an interesting letter to the Vicar in 1928 (page 164) showing the type of enquiries they received from the public.