Genealogy Chat

Was it possible that a child might be baptised twice in two different locations? I have a possibility in Derbyshire that Thomas Needham was baptised both in Monyash and Chelmorton in 1800 and similar for other Needhams. It didn't happen often, I just wonder if it might have happened at all.

There are so few Needhams in Monyash, it makes me think.

Derek might offer some advice.

Regards

Margaret

I have someone who was baptised twice, the first one was within days of her birth and was a private baptism, which I am told happens when the child is not expected to live, she was then baptised later, presumably when she recovered. She was my 4th Gt grandmother

Ann

hi i have one that was bap. in a workhouse and a month later in a church

If a child is privately baptised due to the possibility they may die - normally they are accepted into the church if they recover - not re baptised.

I was baptised twice! The first time in hospital (by the midwife) as the hospital was in danger of being hit by V rockets at the end of the war and later in our parish church.

My daughter knows someone who within the last few years arranged for their child to be baptised twice. -Once into the Roman Catholic church, once into the Church of England. Both ceremonies were attended by just one set of grandparents, who didn't know about the other event.
Done to keep the peace and keep both families happy.

Gwyn

I tend to agree with Heather on this one. I have rellies who were baptised privately and then 'received' into the church not re-baptised. It was probably a public declaration of the promises made privately.

Also, there was a thread on here months ago re children being baptised in different places (when families moved around for work) in order that the families could obtain Poor Relief.

There is one doubly baptised relative in my tree. Apparently she created such a fuss when her little brother was baptised, the Vicar "did" her to shut her up. He had only been in the parish a few weeks so didn't realise she had already been entered in the registers.

I dont think you could knowingly be baptised more than once into the same faith - lol - it wouldnt count. I can understand someone doing a diy job as in Pottys case, but the midwife wouldnt have been ordained, so not really a true baptism.

There may be some truth in the baptisms for poor relief but the vicar would not carry that out if he was aware of a previous baptism. And of course there must be incidences where an RC was baptised into the C of E for economic/status reasons (remember that RCs were not allowed to hold public office until comparatively recently - officially about mid 19th century?) and then secretly baptised as an RC.

I came across one of mine being baptised at the age of 15 - he was apparently entering an apprenticeship on the railways and proof of his age was required. I guess back in those god fearing times a baptism in which he gave his date of birth would have been acceptable proof.

I have a child baptised twice - causing a lot of confusion amongst a group of us all researching the same family:

10 Mar 1821 Margt dau of Edward and Elizabeth Swinnerton of Tuttle Street, Wrexham

26 Aug 1821 Margaret dau of Edward and Elizabeth Swinnerton of Tuttle Street, Wrexham.

Both entries are in the records of St Giles Church in Wrexham with a 5 month gap - so not long enough for another pregnancy. The records for this period are very clear and we know that there was only 1 couple of this name living in the area.

I would love to know how this could happen!

Tina x

Thanks everyone for your input.

I now realise that the "first" baptism in Monyash (Jan 1800) is from a parish record of the C of E Chapelry of Monyash, and the second (2 Feb 1800) is from a Bishop's Transcript of the C of E Parish Church of Chelmorton. Could it be that he was actually baptised at the Chapelry but the "main" church for reporting to the bishop was the nearest parish church in Chelmorton? The two villages are within walking distance of each other.

I have found no record of either mother or father originating in, or living in Monyash.

Your help is appreciated as this person is crucial to my research.

Thanks

Margaret

Tina~j - not enough time for a 2nd full pregnancy, but what if Margt #1 was baptized when she was, say, 1 y.o., then died shortly thereafter, while Elizabeth was preggy. She might have thought Margt was too good a name to waste, and recycled it for Margt #2.
(If this was the case, there would be a burial record for Margt #1 in a fairly tight time-frame.)

A simple answer for the Tuttle Lane family is that the clerk forgot he had registered once and did it again for the quarter records.

+There is an interesting article in the latest issue of Ancestor about Charles Darwin's family. Charles' father was a Nonconformist at a time when only baptized members of the Church of England could hold public office, take commissions in the army or navy or go to university. He therefore had his children baptized at the nearby Anglican church, and his daughters were also baptized at Shrewsbury Independent Chapel. Charles was born 1809.
I only read this after my earlier addition to this thread earlier today!

I have instances of children being baptised twice.

Sometimes in the same church - possibly the first one being private and the 2nd being received into church but showing as a baptism in the Parish Records.

Baptisms in a C of E Church and then again as Non-Conformist - or vis versa.

Baptised in one parish and then later in another - presumably to ensure parish relief if needed later.

Thanks for the suggestions mgnv and Heather.

mgnv - of course you are right, Elizabeth could have been pregnant already. I was making assumptions (naughty word!!) because the family always baptised their children at a few weeks old - but there was no burial for Margaret in that year :0((

Heather - not sure which quarter records you mean - the entries were on different pages of the same parish records book. You have made me think though - maybe I should try to find the Bishop's Transcripts for the period, and see if both baptisms were entered in there too.

It could be that maryjane-sue has the answer and receiving into Church has been recorded as a baptism.

A really useful thread - thanks everyone

Tina x

We all think mistakes cant be made in "official" records but they are and they were.

I had one lovely case of an ancestor entered as a burial in one parish register, all the details and then crossed out. Now we can safely assume he didnt return to life so I followed this through. He had actually been buried in a neighbouring parish and the Clerk and Vicar of both parishes had confused the issue and entered him twice (like now, some vicars would cover several villages)- no doubt it was noted when Bishop Transcripts were being written up but say it hadnt? Id be forever pondering how he could have been buried twice or wondering how two blokes of the same name and age could have died at the same time :) Im sure this must be the simple answer to many of our real puzzles - good old human error.

Margaret,

Have you seen the original parish record and Bishops transcript or just transcriptions? Could the Jan date be date of birth and not date of baptism?

Heather, I guess it is unlikely we will ever know why there were 2 entries.

I have had a similar experience with deleted records - I found a marriage in the early 1800s with the Banns side fill out, and the marriage itself filled out - the Bride and Groom and witnesses all signed the register and it was then crossed out, not re-entered, but no note of why the entry was crossed out - curious?! Fortunately this lady was not in my direct line. My 5x G Grandfather is credited in his obituary with 19 children, 98 Grandchildren and 88 Great Grandchildren - so the lady in question could well be one of these - we have a lot of work to do yet to identify the whole family!!

It wouldn't be nearly so much fun without all of these anomilies would it?

Tina x

No - its a bit like the pleasure of stopping when you have been banging your head against a brick wall :)

That wedding sounds like it may well be a similar case to my ancestors burial, a clerks error in filling the details in the wrong parish register.