Hello, I have just joined the list and am researching a number of families in Norfolk, including ELMER, WALKER and NEWSTEAD. I have just come across a baptism entry in 1809 containing the note: "mother late spinster" and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what that means please? I've come up with a couple of theories, but would like to hear from someone who has better knowledge of the terminology than I do. Kind regards Heather Minol Canberra Australia

Hello It suggests to me that the mother was unmarried, and that she died in childbirth, or some other time before the baptism. The description is a much kinder one than some that were used. Dudley -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Heather Minol via Sent: 18 July 2014 18:14 To: [email protected] Subject: [NFK] New lister with a question re note on baptism entry Hello, I have just joined the list and am researching a number of families in Norfolk, including ELMER, WALKER and NEWSTEAD. I have just come across a baptism entry in 1809 containing the note: "mother late spinster" and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what that means please? I've come up with a couple of theories, but would like to hear from someone who has better knowledge of the terminology than I do. Kind regards Heather Minol Canberra Australia ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hello I was jumping to the conclusion that the mother was dead. "Late" could just mean "formerly", so perhaps she had the baby unmarried but married before the baptism. The burial register might help with that one. DD -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Heather Minol via Sent: 18 July 2014 18:14 To: [email protected] Subject: [NFK] New lister with a question re note on baptism entry Hello, I have just joined the list and am researching a number of families in Norfolk, including ELMER, WALKER and NEWSTEAD. I have just come across a baptism entry in 1809 containing the note: "mother late spinster" and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what that means please? I've come up with a couple of theories, but would like to hear from someone who has better knowledge of the terminology than I do. Kind regards Heather Minol Canberra Australia ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Thank you for your response Dudley. I do not believe that the mother was dead, as more children appear to have been born up to 1817. I will check the burial register just in case though. Thanks so much for your help. Heather Minol ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dudley Diaper" <[email protected]> To: "'Heather Minol'" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 3:29 AM Subject: PS RE: [NFK] New lister with a question re note on baptism entry > Hello > > I was jumping to the conclusion that the mother was dead. "Late" could > just > mean "formerly", so perhaps she had the baby unmarried but married before > the baptism. The burial register might help with that one. > > DD > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] > On > Behalf Of Heather Minol via > Sent: 18 July 2014 18:14 > To: [email protected] > Subject: [NFK] New lister with a question re note on baptism entry > > Hello, > > I have just joined the list and am researching a number of families in > Norfolk, including ELMER, WALKER and NEWSTEAD. > > I have just come across a baptism entry in 1809 containing the note: > "mother > late spinster" and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what that means > please? I've come up with a couple of theories, but would like to hear > from > someone who has better knowledge of the terminology than I do. > > Kind regards > > Heather Minol > Canberra > Australia > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > >

Contrary to other replies, this was a common form of words in baptism entries prior to the 1812 act. One of several examples in my own tree reads: "Mary Ann daughter of Thomas Hall and Mary his wife (late Mary Savage spinster) was publickly baptized August 13th 1810" This simply indicates the maiden name of the mother, and the fact that she had not been married prior to her marriage to Thomas Hall. Unfortunately, this useful information occurs more rarely after 1812, when pre-printed registers came into use, having no clear space for such comments. Regards, John Francis At 18:14 18/07/2014, you wrote: >Hello, > >I have just joined the list and am researching a number of families >in Norfolk, including ELMER, WALKER and NEWSTEAD. > >I have just come across a baptism entry in 1809 containing the note: >"mother late spinster" and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what >that means please? I've come up with a couple of theories, but would >like to hear from someone who has better knowledge of the >terminology than I do. > >Kind regards > >Heather Minol >Canberra >Australia > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >[email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi, what does the rest of the entry say ? is it for instance, John son of John and Mary Brown, late spinster, bapt 1.1.1809 ? mostly parish clerks or the baptising priest would write whatever suited them within a certain form....they were not above adding bits themselves ...... the Rector of Wimbotsham for instance , is clearly critical of much married men, and writes HIS THIRD WIFE......and you can sense the disapproval !!!! life is hard . soften it with a cat \\\=^..^=/// ----- Original Message ----- From: "Heather Minol via" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, July 18, 2014 6:14 PM Subject: [NFK] New lister with a question re note on baptism entry > Hello, > > I have just joined the list and am researching a number of families in > Norfolk, including ELMER, WALKER and NEWSTEAD. > > I have just come across a baptism entry in 1809 containing the note: > "mother late spinster" and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what that > means please? I've come up with a couple of theories, but would like to > hear from someone who has better knowledge of the terminology than I do. > > Kind regards > > Heather Minol > Canberra > Australia > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >