Re: Baptising illegitimate children

eve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Searching for records of a boy child who appears to be illegtimate as
his birth certificate gives his mother's name but no father, I went on
to search among baptismal and christening records. I can't find any
trace of these for him, though he shows up in later censuses. Was
there some prohibition about the baptism of illegitimate children?

Absolutely not - and in some cases, the mother was more likely to be
coerced into baptising by the authorities. However, there was no
compulsion to baptise children (at least after about 1720) and far
more people did not bother with churchgoing than did. The 1851
survey of religious worship showed that only about a third of the
population attended the 'established' Church of England, so you may
find a baptism in a chapel (or birth registration for Baptists)

He's a rather curious case because (if I'm correct) his mother was
Louisa Cowell, his name is William Cowell born 1847 but with no
father
named But in a Census of 1851 a William Cowell is shown as living
with his grandparents (Louisa's parents Benjain and Sarah) and his
father, Daniel Cowell!
Hoiw do you work that out? If Benjamin is head of the family, then
yes, Daniel would be called his son, and the boy William his
grandson, but that doesn't mean Daniel was his father, rather than his
uncle.
EVE
Author of The McLaughlin Guides for Family Historians
Secretary, Bucks Genealogical Society
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Confusing
    ... Baptism is the firstfruits of repentance. ... I think the Father hears all efforts to communicate with Him. ... Christians we should always pray to the Father in the name of His Son, ... Jesus is the Word because he is the Messanger that delivers the ...
    (uk.religion.christian)
  • Re: Identity of father of illegitimate child
    ... and no-one knew who his father was. ... as I was given to understand that the baptism record ... appropriate register, and sure enough there was his father! ... The reason for not disclosing it on the birth certificate is that the law only allows an unmarried father's name to be recorded if he is present and gives consent. ...
    (soc.genealogy.britain)
  • Re: Baptising illegitimate children
    ... to search among baptismal and christening records. ... Cowell, his name is William Cowell born 1847 but with no father named ... mean he isn't named in a baptism register using the father's surname. ...
    (soc.genealogy.britain)
  • Re: [GEN-BENELUX] DTB opmerkingen - Veldhoven
    ... Moeder Elizabetha Boogers ... This means it may have been baptized before by e.g. the midwife, the church repeated that under the condition that the baptism done before was not performed correctly. ... The deceased in this case leaves behind lawful children (wettige geboorte) so must be the father. ...
    (soc.genealogy.benelux)