Yep, all of that. Or the register-keeper couldn't read what the vic had written on his little slips of paper and was going to ask the vic, so as to fill it in later, only didn't. Or he'd had a drop too much mulled-wine and just made a mistake. Somebody knocked on his door & interrupted him at that moment (like the man from Porlock), and he forgot to finish that entry. A puff of air from the open window blew the vicar's slip into the fire..... we could go on for ever. But illegitimacy seems the obvious most likely answer, and mum being a widow or deserted the next most likely I think. Celia Renshaw in Sheffield UK On 4 June 2017 at 09:45, Liz via DERBYSGEN <[email protected]> wrote: > The vicar went off to wet the baby's head and when it came to fill in the > details he had forgotten the dad's name!!! It could also be that the > husband was dead and the vicar thought the father was a different person in > the village/town or the father was absent abroad. > > Liz > > -----Original Message----- > From: DERBYSGEN > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of Joan M via DERBYSGEN > Sent: 03 June 2017 15:15 > To: 'Derbyshire genealogy' > Cc: Joan M > Subject: [DBY] Baptisms where father isn't named > > Hi, > > Apart from illegitimacy, is there any other reason that the father wouldn't > be named? > > Thanks > > Joan > >