P in margin on Cityark

[susan-y]

Can anyone tell me what the P or P or a BP in the margin of baptisms stands for? This is when trolling Cityark parish registers.

Thanks
Sue

[Sue Mackay]

Is it a baptism? Probably stands for Private, ie the child was baptised at home

[susan-y]

Thank you both very much... We ( 2nd cousin) and I wondered if it meant paid! Private makes sense... in one case 4 children from the family were baptised at the same time, which I would imagine it had something to do with the father not being home all the time.

Sue

[Peter Goodey]

I would imagine it had something to do with the father not being home all the time.

Private baptisms were supposed to be for sickly babies who weren't expected to survive long enough to make it to the church. Look through the burial registers for a corresponding entry or a later entry among the baptisms (or a note against the same entry) indicating that the child had been received into the church.

[Sue Mackay]

Look through the burial registers for a corresponding entry or a later entry among the baptisms (or a note against the same entry) indicating that the child had been received into the church.

Precisely, Peter, and this is yet another reason why it is essential to try and consult original registers, and why sites like City Ark are invaluable. When I was transcribing a baptism register once the incumbent had scribbled margin notes against baptisms marked P such as 'died 27 March' or 'received into Church 25 May'. Sometimes the child had survived but was not received into the church until the following year, but the IGI at the time just had both the private baptism and the reception into the church listed as plain baptisms, and of course where the child had later died no death was listed. As a result it was easy to assume that if there were baptisms of two children of the same name to the same parents a year or so apart, then the first child had died and the name re-used. Of course this did happen often, but sometimes the second 'baptism' is really the child being received into the church following an earlier private baptism at home.

[susan-y]

Now... I took someone's word that it was our family group of 4 that had the P , but actually it was the baptism of another child in the family and this child did die shortly after.

I have noticed that there were a lot of illigetimate children baptised privatly and sometimes the note said " at workhouse". I am guessing that it depended on the circumstances of the family at the time and the inclination of the minister......

[Peter Goodey]

If all the workhouse baptisms were all on the same day of the week, that might indicate the day when a member of the clergy paid his regular visit