Genealogy Chat

stillbirth, full term ? I've come across a birth and death record as follows which 'may' be a family member

Keating... male
Keating ...female...same ref number

and a death for same quarter

keating male
keating female. same ref number

Now I know that anyone can baptise 'in extremis' so i would have thought the child would have been given a name ...but if stiilborn would that not be allowed?

thankyou

If the children were not expected to survive more than a few hours or days they were hurriedly baptised but often not named and just referred to as male or female. Some birth registrations are the same.
This didn't only happen in the Catholic faith. I have the same with twins in my tree and the family were staunch methodists.

Thanks for that Astra, I might have to note it down and take a chance on ordering when i can afford 'random' certs lol.

Stillborn children were not registered prior to 1927. After that date they were registered but the register is private.

Children who did draw breath even if only for a few minutes were registered normally as live births, and sadly, their death registered too, probably at the same time.

As far as 'in extremis' baptisms are concerned, I have seen evidence from parish registers where this happened in some families even if the child was healthy almost as a matter of routine.

Thankyou for that extra info IGP.

I was born 6 weeks early in 1956, and not expected to live, so a nurse took it upon herself to 'baptise'/name me!
My mum was so horrified, she sent my dad out to register me - in a different name!
I was never formally baptised/christened.

I was born in Greenwich, London during the time of the V bombs and I was baptised as soon as I was born by the midwife as there was a strong chance that the hospital would be bombed. I was later baptised in the Parish church.