Catherine Randall wrote: > Can anyone tell me if, when a couple had a child baptised in 1801, > did they have to show proof of marriage. Unlikely unless the incumbent had a suspicion the couple weren't married. > If they arrived as a > couple with two children for the baptism and not yet married ,would > the bap. indicate that the child/ren was/were base born? If the incumbent wasn't aware the couple were unmarried, the children wouldn't have been shown in the baptismal register as base born. That would only happen if he knew. > I'm trying to locate a marriage and hope to narrow the search. Sorry, I haven't narrowed the search for you. The couple may have married in another parish other than the one in which they were normally resident for some reason: work, under age, parental disapproval, within the forbidden degrees. If you were to name the family in question and give full details of who the children were, when they were baptised and where, someone may be able to help you find them. With such nebulous information, it's hard to give much constructive assistance. -- Charani (UK) OPC for Walton, Greinton and Clutton, SOM Asst OPC for Ashcott and Shapwick, SOM http://wsom-opc.org.uk