Hi Lin Not sure if I am missing something but the entry natural son or daughter are for illegitimate births She may have had a long term partner but it suggests they were not married Have I missed something? Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 29/09/2014 18:48, Lin via wrote: > One of my ancestors James RIPLEY according to the IGI was the son of > Sarah so have assumed for years that she was a single woman > > I've had the chance to look at the actual registers and have found that > James was 'the natural son of Sarah' > > I then looked at previous entries and found one some 9 years earlier > for Betty 'the natural born dau of Sarah born in the absence of her > husband John'. > > I have also found two other baptisms for 'natural born children of Sarah'. > > Thank goodness for the vicar's comment in the register otherwise I would > have been none the wiser as to my ancestor's lack of moral propriety!!! > > A story there I think which I will never know. > > Lin