Could a widow be referred to as a singlewoman?

[mijath]

One of my ancestors had two illegitimate children born after the death of her husband. I know this from her will and one baptism record.

I had assumed an 1816 bastardy examination to be about the child I don't have a baptism for - except it refers to her as a "singlewoman". This may be a silly question but has anyone ever seen a widow referred to as such? Obviously I've seen spinsters referred to as singlewomen but is there any grey area where it was used to mean a woman unattached due to widowhood?

[Flemming]

Not on a bastardy record, but several marriages where the bride was recorded as single when she was a widow, particularly if the marriage was outside of her usual parish. It may have been that the clerk/vicar just assumed her status and, if the couple couldn't read, they may not have spotted the mistake, or may not have been concerned by it.

[jim1]

Apart from the above it may be inferred that the dead husband was the father if her status was widow at a Baptism.
Entering single woman removes that inference & indicates someone else (other than a husband) is the father.
I would say that the same applies on a bastardy order. The husband having died more than 9 months prior to the birth.

[Marmalady]

Not a singlewoman but one of my ancestors was recorded as a "Single man" in the marriage register having buried his first wife in the churchyard only 5 months previously.

[ms_canuck]

I believe I also saw it once in a Probate document.  The beneficiary (daughter) had Singlewoman after her name in brackets, and the surname was not her maiden name.  Once I researched the daughter, it turned out that she was divorced at the time of her mother's death.

Ms_C