This give you a list of all the churches in Bedfordshire - as you see there are five known as St James... http://www.countyviews.com/beds/church.htm Then perhaps you can marry it up with the IGI? http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hughwallis/IGIBatchNumbers/CountyBedford.htm#PageTitle You may try Beds Archives Search site: http://blars.adlibsoft.com/beginner/indnms.html There wouldn't be a filiation record if the father acknowledged the child - as they were only concerned with people who didnt want to maintain their babies. You know his mother, Sarah SIMPSON, died some time between 1784 and 1799 - either in Bedfordshire or London? You could try a look-up for her burial on rootschat? http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/board,2.0.html cathy