Genealogy Chat

Evening all... I have just been looking at some Parish Registers. Can anyone tell me what *Base Born* means ? Thanks Lyn x

Illegitimate perhaps?

Definately means Illegitimate. Sam x

Base Born is a mild term for some vicars. they have been known to scrawl BASTARD or Mother a Whore on the Registers Margaret

oooooo thats abit harsh! Haven't seen that yet. How funny the things poeple used to write on these things LOL

honestly do they do that!!!! Just a quick question, how do you go about getting or veiwing parish registers?? thanks Carly...

Carly, You can buy parish records on microfiche from some Family History Societies but then you need a reader to view them on. You can view them on microfiche or microfilm at the Archives or Record centre local to the area in question. You can order them in to look at at your local Family History Centre. Finally, you can see some on the web. Try www.familysearch.org or if theyt are not there, try looking on www.genuki.org for the area or using google and enter the place name and date or something. Sam x

what do the parish records actually show?? and how would i know which ones to order?? Thanks Sam

Hi Carly Parish records for baptisms usually show: The name and date of baptism of the child (sometimes the actual date of birth, but not always), the names of parents although not usually the mothers maiden name, the occupation of the father and the address. This is usually just the village/town, not the actual street. Marriages after 1837 are generally exactly the same as buying a certificate. Before mid-1837, you just get the names of bride and groom, whether they are of the parish or not and the names of the witnesses. You may be lucky and get occupation but you don't usually get parent's details. You can usually work out using census information about when/where someone was born so can guess pretty accurately where they may have been baptised. Try the IGI on the familysearch website first, you never know. Again, you can guess pretty well when someone may have got married by looking when their first chid was born and working back from there. Sam x

Thanks all, I thought it might be illegitimate. I didnt realise the vicars were so harsh,lol Thank goodness times have moved on !?!?!? Lyn x

From what I've picked up from reading this and that: Marriages were recorded on pre-printed sheets from 1794(?), and so presumably give the same information wherever the parish was. Baptisms were recorded on pre-printed sheets from 1813(?), so had standard information from that date. Some parishes in Yorkshire used what were called 'Dade registers', and these are apparently a mine of information! Anything other than that is pot luck, with the further back you go, the less information you get. Oh, and the above only apply to England and Wales...

This baptism entry was posted to soc.genealogy.britain: 25 Oct 1752 - Sarah illeg dau Mary Sutton of Barlaston, spinster, & a travelling soldier (as she pretended and swore, but nobody believed). NB the mother is an impudent, brutish and profligate wretch, deformed in body, but much more deformed in mind.

Hi All I understood that London Metropolitan Archives ( LMA ) held all parish registers for London, Middlesex and Greater London, if its parish records for London you are looking for at least they are all under one roof Madeline