Hello - While I'm not an expert in this by any means, I believe the growth in marriages and baptisms in the 'lower classes' in England, was tied to several things, including Parish aid to paupers, and the growth of Non-Conformist religions. As more and more Counties and parishes in England assumed responsibility for the poor, they wanted to be sure they were extending aid only to 'deserving' people. They wanted to be sure - or as sure as possible - the parents were born in the parish, or had worked there for over a year, etc. I even read one case where they based everything on the grandparents! Parishes sued one another, to force them to take the poor unfortunate families. (rather like ping-pong.) It became even more important when Union-houses were built, and one needed to prove their family lineage to claim help. As to the growth of Non-Conformist religions, many C of E vicars wouldn't allow people to be buried in consecrated ground without knowledge of a 'proper' baptism. (In fact, until the late 1700's, the bodies of shipwrecked sailors were left wherever they 'landed', and Parliament had to pass a law requiring that they be buried, at Parish expense.) Once again, the newspapers had stories about children's bodies being turned away from the burial grounds by officious vicars, who knew the parents weren't C of E, well into the 1850s. Then, when offers of Free transport to Australia started to be made, but a person had to be able to prove they were over 15, but under 30, baptisms became Very Important! (I've seen whole families of children, all baptized the same day, in parish records.) I suspect some very sympathetic curates may have 'added' them to the records at a later date, as they're written up on separate pages, then noted into the registers. People still managed to live 'free' lives - the case based on the residence of the grandparents involved 5 children born to a woman living with a man not her husband, so the Court went to her husband's place of birth to establish which parish should receive them. (It didn't matter a whit where their biological father lived - just where her husband had lived!) Hope this helps a little. Julia Julia Mosman, OPC for St.Austell,Charlestown, and Treverbyn website http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~staustell W. Briton newspaper transcripts at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wbritonad