I don't recall reading in this thread that anyone was forced to sign with an 'X'. But, have you ever seen a 1860's certificate written in Irish? Although the spoken native language was prevalent in non-urban areas of the country, many maybe did not know how to write it. There can be little doubt that in such places as Achill, and the Aran Islands, as well as parts of the Co.Kerry, and the Donegal seaboards, English was a foreign and unknown language. Even to-day in the outlying western areas of Co.Galway, such, for instance, as Barna, one won't hear English spoken at any social gatherings, or at chapel, nor in the meadows, saving hay, or in the ploughfields, or small town fairs. ***** Reply to the LIST ONLY - Please ***** ***** Thanks for your consideration ***** Pádraig Mór, An Sean Gabhar ----- Original Message ----- From: "kevin " <kevinmcc59@eircom.net> To: <irl-cork@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 8:40 AM Subject: Re: Irish Birth Certificates having an 'X' for Signatures >I beleieve in the 1860's Irish was more prevalent aound the country.Here in >Co Cork we would consider the Ballyvourney and Ballingeary area as the >Gaeltacht.Irish was more widely spread in those times. I can't believe >someone being forced to sign with an X though. Regards,Kevin. > >> >> Yes, it would be interesting in that respect to view an 1860's BDM for = >> >> persons bred, born, reared and died in the strictly Gaeltacht areas of >> the = >> >> western seaboard. >> >> >> ***** Reply to the LIST ONLY - Please ***** >> ***** Thanks for your consideration ***** >> >> P=E1draig M=F3r, >> An Sean Gabhar >> ----- Original Message ----- = >> >> From: "Cheryl Dynan" <cdynan@rcn.com> >> To: <irl-cork@rootsweb.com> >> Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2006 4:42 PM >> Subject: Re: Irish Birth Certificates having an 'X' for Signatures >> >> >> And I believe often that the X was not because the person was >> illiteratre but because they were literate in a different language. As >> pointed out before many people had Irish as their only language not >> English, >> and the English insisted that births be recorded in English. >> Cheryl >> ----- Original Message ----- = >> >> From: "P=E1draig M=F3r =D3 Gealagain" <padraigogealagain@rogers.com> >> To: <irl-cork@rootsweb.com> >> Cc: <irl-limerick@rootsweb.com>; <irl-clare@rootsweb.com>; >> <cotipperary@rootsweb.com> >> Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2006 10:57 AM >> Subject: Re: Irish Birth Certificates having an 'X' for Signatures >> >> >> > > I can assure you from my experience that it was illiteracy, compare >> > marriage certs and entries.....the old x. was very prevalent...> >> > >> > Yes, for sure there are nearly all signed by the mark 'X', but I can >> > not >> > believe that such a mark meant it was always a result of illiteracy on >> > the part of the informants. >> > >> > Consider this probable scenario of a time before the invention of >> > photo-copiers and computer digitisation as to how the process of >> > registrations might have been accomplished: