Ruling out incest

[LMChapman]

I wonder ...

Pre WWI...  Scotland ... perhaps the R.C. priest was Irish ....

I explain .... in New South Wales Australia, for most of 20th century, many/most R.C. parish priests were Irish or Irish trained .... so they were not familiar with Australian accents.   

And until the 1960s, most denominations used Thou and Thy rather that You  and Your. 

So if the Priest in Scotland back in the 1900s asked the baby's mum "who is the father"  would she hear it as "who is THY father" ..   yes, quite possibly, and thereby be unaware that her answer was recorded as perhaps naming her baby's father and for 21st eyes to consider a taboo relationship.

JM

Interesting, but I do know her father wasn't called William.

[LMChapman]

"William Fraser as the mother says" is somewhat weak for a priest to write if it is a case of incest. You would expect a bit more fulmination.

Have you looked at the actual birth certificate to see what it says?

Yes, I would certainly think there would be more comment than just that! 'As the mother says' seems to be this recorders standard phrasing for uncertain paternity. The birth certificate just says Illegitimate and gives no father.

[Rosinish]

Sounds like a case of the child being that of a married man, possibly named William which is a coincidence with the brother being named William or his surname was Fraser but named for her brother?

Annie