Illegitimate child

[Bob Topley]

I have come across my great great grandfather in The Parish records who was born illegitimate in Walton On The Wolds on Feb. 24,1828. I have two questions.
1. Does the date on the parish record mean the day born or christened?
2. It is shown thusly:

Feb ----------- Son of
24th --------- Elizabeth Topley --- Illegitimate ---Walton --- Williams
---- Frederick ---- (Simpson) ----------------------------- Curater
No. 136

The name Simpson was shown on the form like above. Does this mean:
-the father was Simpson?
-mother's maiden name was Simpson?
-famlly named Simpson was going to take responsibility to assist the mother?
I've heard all three reasons but don't know what is the most likely given the time and place.
If anyone can clarify the reason for name in brackets I would appreciate it.
Thank you.

[Guy Etchells]

A typical parish register shows
Forename ; Date of Baptism ; Sex ; Father's Full Name ; Mother's Forename ; Comments (occupation etc) ; Ceremony Performed by :

In addition the register may show Mother's full name ; Date of child's birth ; Abode :

If the register entry was in the order given I would think it highly likely that the baptism was performed by someone called Simpson, but without seeing the original it is difficult to be sure.
Cheers
Guy

[Geoffers]

Parish Registers record dates of baptism rather than birth.

However, some registers do occasionally also include a date/year of birth or age at baptism as an added note in the margin, or across the bottom of the entry. This additional information would be fairly obvious if it was there.

As to the name in brackets, such added information is unusual from 1813 onwards. Without looking at it further, it would not be possible to say definitively why it is there. I suggest it is most likely to be her maiden name, but it is possible that she had married since the birth of the child and her name had changed, it is also possible that it is the surname of a man she was lviing with. It will need research to establish which is correct. Out of interest, are other names in the register recorded in the same way?

Geoffers

[Peter Goodey]

I can't make out which columns you mean. I suspect you would have to do some more research to clarify exactly what the entry was supposed to mean.

Perhaps it means Elizabeth Simpson who goes by the name of Topley or conversely Elizabeth Topley who goes by the name of Simpson.

Note that in 1828 the parish had an interest in knowing who the father of an illegitimate child was. The parish poor law records may shed some light on things.

Also search for a marriage between Simpson and Topley.

[Mythology]

Now, I'm not suggesting that this is reliable, I wouldn't want really to give an answer without sitting down and reading a good chunk of the register to see what this fellow's style is, but the IGI entry (an extracted one) has the child as Frederick Topley or Simpson and gives the parents as:
Father: TOPLEY
Mother: ELIZABETH SIMPSON

[Bob Topley]

The curate was Williams.

[Bob Topley]

I live in Canada and I obtained this information off a microfiche at LDS and the above is the only information I could find.
Thanks for your interest.

[Bob Topley]

I didn't notice any other registrations done in the same manner, but there could have been.
Thanks.

[Bob Topley]

Due to the keen eye and great curiosity a genealogy researcher in Leicestershire came across Elizabeth's birth record in an old famly Bible. Her parents who were married Dec. 21, 1805 in Sileby are:
Father - Edward Topley, born Aug 2, 1777, Walton On The Wolds
Mother - Mary Preston, born abt 1881, Sileby
Children:
Thomas Topley born Nov. 27, 1806, Sileby, died May 1, 1809 Sileby
Elizabeth Topley born June 5, 1807, Sileby
Rebekah Topley born Apr. 6, 1810, Sileby
John Topley born June 3, 1814 Walton On The Wolds
Henry Topley born abt 1816, Walton On The Wolds
Maria Topley born abt 1820 Walton On The Wolds
William Topley born abt 1823 Walton On The Wolds
Note: Only the first 3 children are recorded in the Bible which was kept by the Preston family in Sileby.
Elizabeth Topley is my GGG grandmother and I'm very appreciative of the interest and generosity of a kind researcher and historian in Leicestershire.
Thank you.
Bob