when did baptism records stop?

[debsy]

Does anyone know if and when the baptism records stop? For example, a person born in 1850 - would they have a searchable baptism record and how would I find it? I'm currently wanting to find baptisms in Middlesex about 1850 to compare against the GRO certificate.
- Deb

[suedent]

Baptism records haven't stopped. I recently transcribed from a film that had baptisms in the 1990s. The only real question is whether those registers have been deposited with the County records office or held by the church still. This will depend very much on the area you are searching and also the denomination.

For example, the register of a small village church is far more likely to still be in use than a city parish because fewer baptisms will be performed.

Your first step will be finding out which church the baptisms were performed at, with a city family this may not be straightforward.

[uksearch]

Perhaps it might be worth remembering that not all baptisms took place within weeks or months of a person's birth. Some parents were in the habit of having all their children baptized at the same time. I have seen one instance where a family had 10 children were baptized on the same day.

UK

[Wilkes_ml]

I also have a family whose children were all baptised in their late teens, early 20's - often just before marriage. I think they were Baptists or Methodists (can't remember which). My own mother was baptised aged 20 or 21 in the 1970's so she could get married!

[Colin Moretti]

One other point to bear in mind is that the baptism might not have taken place in the parish where the child was born, even if it wasn't a non-conformist ceremony.

What do you mean by "searchable"? The IGI has records well into the later 19thC for some parishes, but the later the date the fewer the records. It will almost certainly mean looking at the films of the registers, either at the relevant record office or possible at your nearest LDS Family History Centre, if they have copies - you can search for the parish here:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp
The catalogue will tell you the coverage of their films.

Colin

[Peter Goodey]

It's something we all feel obliged to try when we come up against an illegitimate birth.

But if there were enough published data to weigh up the odds, I suspect we'd be justified in saying that you're probably lucky to have a birth certificate and the chances of finding a baptism as well - particularly one that mentions a father - are pretty close to zero.

But don't let me put you off (see my first sentence above);).

Don't forget that, apart from churches and chapels, baptisms could also be recorded in workhouses and lying-in hospitals.

[debsy]

Whew! I think I might let this brickwall lie for the time being as I also got two marriage certificates which will keep me busy for a while. I am still trying to work out how to find which folio etc reference for which area, if you know what I mean. I've not long discovered what IGI means! (something else to confuse me)

[Julia Ball]

I too, came across this problem, and a quick call to the parish priest solved my problem instantly, he had had it all subscribed onto a database and could tell me that the youngest 5 were all baptised on the same day and even gave me their full names and dates of birth, chuffed to bits :-)