This usually means private ie they weren't expected to live and so it was performed at the bedside. If they survived they would normally have had the full service at a later date in church Lin Lin http://familyrootsandbranches.tribalpages.com/ On 10 December 2013 15:48, Vern Prescott <vprescott@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi All > > I have just seen a few baptisms recorded with a P in the margin beside the > date. Can anyone on the list please tell me what this might mean? > > Vern in Ontario > > > > :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: > > Buy or sell family research items on the GEN-MAT-UKI mailing list. No > fees! > > The list's administrator can be contacted at LancsGen-admin@rootsweb.com > > :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > LANCSGEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Thanks Antony, Nivard and Linda I never thought of Private, but I did expect the child was not expected to live. Here is the situation: Edward and Jane PRESCOTT had a daughter named Margaret. The 1881 Census shows them living in Cross Lane, Halsall. Margaret is 1 month old. In 1891 they live in Southport. There is a baptism at St Paul's, Southport which appears to be Margaret: Lancashire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911 Name: Margaret Prescott Birth Date: 19 Feb 1881 Baptism Date: 1 May 1881 Parish: Southport, St Paul Father: Edward Prescott Mother: Jane Prescott Reference Number: Pr 3368/1/1 However, there is also a baptism at St Cuthbert, Halsall, dated 19 Feb and marked P Lancashire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911 Name: Margaret Prescott Baptism Date: 19 Feb 1881 Parish: Halsall, St Cuthbert Father: Edward Prescott Mother: Jane Prescott Reference Number: Pr 3377/1/2 I believe these are two baptisms for the same child. If Margaret was not expected to live, it is likely that she was baptised privately on the day she was born. However, I wonder why she would be baptised a second time? Vern in Ontario On 10 December 2013 11:02, Linda Chapman <genealogistatwork@gmail.com>wrote: > This usually means private ie they weren't expected to live and so it was > performed at the bedside. If they survived they would normally have had the > full service at a later date in church > > Lin > > Lin > > http://familyrootsandbranches.tribalpages.com/ > > > On 10 December 2013 15:48, Vern Prescott <vprescott@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Hi All > > > > I have just seen a few baptisms recorded with a P in the margin beside > the > > date. Can anyone on the list please tell me what this might mean? > > > > Vern in Ontario > > > > > > > > :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: > > > > Buy or sell family research items on the GEN-MAT-UKI mailing list. No > > fees! > > > > The list's administrator can be contacted at LancsGen-admin@rootsweb.com > > > > :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > LANCSGEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: > > Buy or sell family research items on the GEN-MAT-UKI mailing list. No > fees! > > The list's administrator can be contacted at LancsGen-admin@rootsweb.com > > :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: :-+-: > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > LANCSGEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Hi Vern You can't be baptised more than once (in theory) After a private baptism and if the infant survived, later the child would be received into the Church, which is the other part of a baptism that usually occurs at the same time as the first part, in Church Recording can be haphazard and depended much on the clerk Some entered both the private baptism and the receiving with no notation to show the difference, others just the private part, other still just the receiving So I would say the earlier event is the recording of the private baptism, the other being the receiving into the Church However I do have several situations where it appears the child was baptised twice, sometimes years apart Check the actual entry in the register to see if there are any further notes Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 10/12/2013 16:23, Vern Prescott wrote: > Thanks Antony, Nivard and Linda > > I never thought of Private, but I did expect the child was not expected to > live. > > Here is the situation: Edward and Jane PRESCOTT had a daughter named > Margaret. The 1881 Census shows them living in Cross Lane, Halsall. > Margaret is 1 month old. In 1891 they live in Southport. > > There is a baptism at St Paul's, Southport which appears to be Margaret: > Lancashire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911 > Name: Margaret Prescott > Birth Date: 19 Feb 1881 > Baptism Date: 1 May 1881 > Parish: Southport, St Paul > Father: Edward Prescott > Mother: Jane Prescott > Reference Number: Pr 3368/1/1

If the baby was baptised privately, it would have P in the margin. When the baby was 'received' into the church, it would have R in the margin. A baby cannot be baptised twice so the first one would be the baptism and the second one would be when the child was brought to church. Pauline in Darwen

Sorry Vern, that wasn't very clear, the first baptism would have been marked P and the second 'baptism' would be when the baby was 'received' into the church. Sometimes this would have the letter R in the margin. Good Luck, Pauline in Darwen