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