double baptism

[hdw]

I have seen instances in the OPRs of a child's birth being registered in one parish, then the baptism takes place in a different parish. But my ancestor William Anderson, born in 1740 in Dysart, was baptised there on 30th November and then baptised again in Abbotshall, Kirkcaldy, on 7th December. It's definitely baptisms both times.

I'm no expert on the Church of Scotland, though I was brought up in it, but I thought a baptism was once and for all and couldn't be repeated.

Harry

[GR2]

There would only be one baptism. I have some instances of children being baptised in a neighbouring parish because the minister of the parish where the family lived was seriously ill or absent. In most cases the baptism was recorded in the "home" parish, but in one instance it was recorded in both and with inconsistent dates. Maybe this is similar to your case.

[aghadowey]

Not sure about this particular case or common practice in Scotland at that time but my great-grandmother & most of her siblings in Ulster were entered twice in the church register (slightly different dates for each set of baptisms)- and it didn't just happen to this family. In their case the answer is probably quite simple. In those days the children were probably baptised at home when the minister was making visitations and the clergyman probably either made a note of the date & child's name or just recorded the details from memory at a later date. 

[hdw]

The first baptism, in Dysart, was before two named witnesses, whether in church or not it doesn't say. The second baptism, in Abbotshall, was "before the Comunity and congregation".

Harry

[GR2]

In which parish did the family live?

30th November 1740 was a Sunday and the day of the communion in Dysart. There are no session minutes for that year in Abbotshall on SP. 7th December was also a Sunday.

[hdw]

They lived in Dysart.

Harry

[majm]

The first baptism, in Dysart, was before two named witnesses, whether in church or not it doesn't say. The second baptism, in Abbotshall, was "before the Comunity and congregation".

Harry

Likely you will find that there are two parts to baptism ceremonies.  One part is Christening ... I.e. giving the baby their Christian names and the second part is presenting the baby to the members of the local Church community.     Usually the one ceremony, but the presentation is usually an extension of the Sunday service.   

It is also possible that the local clergy may transmit advice of the ceremony through to the Bishop or similar. 

In 1810 in New South Wales, Australia, the Scottish born and raised Governor, a military chap, issued General Orders to the clergy requiring notification of all baptisms and burials to be transmitted to the NSW Chaplains.  That order remained in place until 1856 when civil registration commenced.   Consequently, there can be up to five sets of church records for the one baptism... each with a slightly different date for its entry into the different parish registers.   There are even entries in some Sydney NSW CofE registers of ceremonies by clergy of other denominations ....   

Perhaps transmitting records from one clergyman's register to another's  is a fair explanation, as afterall,  once baptised, the usual church laws/rules mean you cannot be baptised again. 

JM

[GR2]

There is only going to be one baptism. I suspect the child was baptised in Dysart on Sunday 30th November and the clerk would probably know the couple and the witnesses.

However, it was communion day, a big event which involved at least one minister from a neighbouring parish assisting. It may be that the child was baptised by the Abbotshall minister at Dysart on the 30th, noted in his memorandum book, then entered with other baptisms from the book into the Abbotshall register the following week. The Abbotshall minister would not have noted the names of particular witnesses  and hence "community and congregation", which would still be correct.

[hdw]

The first baptism, in Dysart, was before two named witnesses, whether in church or not it doesn't say. The second baptism, in Abbotshall, was "before the Comunity and congregation".

Harry

Likely you will find that there are two parts to baptism ceremonies.  One part is Christening ... I.e. giving the baby their Christian names and the second part is presenting the baby to the members of the local Church community.     Usually the one ceremony, but the presentation is usually an extension of the Sunday service.   

It is also possible that the local clergy may transmit advice of the ceremony through to the Bishop or similar. 

In 1810 in New South Wales, Australia, the Scottish born and raised Governor, a military chap, issued General Orders to the clergy requiring notification of all baptisms and burials to be transmitted to the NSW Chaplains.  That order remained in place until 1856 when civil registration commenced.   Consequently, there can be up to five sets of church records for the one baptism... each with a slightly different date for its entry into the different parish registers.   There are even entries in some Sydney NSW CofE registers of ceremonies by clergy of other denominations ....   

Perhaps transmitting records from one clergyman's register to another's  is a fair explanation, as afterall,  once baptised, the usual church laws/rules mean you cannot be baptised again. 

JM

Thanks for that, but there are no bishops in the Church of Scotland, not since the 1600s. Also, Dysart and Abbotshall were separate parishes, separate churches, separate ministers, separate congregations.

In a way I'm quite amused by all this church involvement, because when William's father Murdo Anderson was born in Methilhill, par. of Wemyss, in 1707, he was the result of "antenuptial fornication", and Murdo's father David Anderson was found by the elders who examined him to be "grossly ignorant of Christian principles".

Harry