Author Topic: Looking for any bastardy records that might help with parentage of children  (Read 797 times)

Offline KGarrad

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Re: Looking for any bastardy records that might help with parentage of children
« Reply #9 on: Sunday 10 January 21 16:17 GMT (UK) »
Here, Isle of Man, I can get access to Presentments, a twice-yearly communication from the parish priest to the bishop.
As well as listing the Church Wardens, they also note those who transgressed ecclesiastical law.

Amongst those are "Presentments for Fornication", where a single woman was accused of having a child outside of wedlock.
She was asked to name the father, so that the child would not be a burden on the parish, but charged to the father.
Sometimes the mother told; sometimes she didn't and a fine was levied!

The Presentments here are in the Archives at the Manx Museum - presumably Diocesan records.
The Manx Museum is the Diocesan Archive as well as the State Archive.

Might be worth looking for the same in your area?
Garrad (Suffolk, Essex, Somerset), Crocker (Somerset), Vanstone (Devon, Jersey), Sims (Wiltshire), Bridger (Kent)