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Twins baptised 2 years apart

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  • Twins baptised 2 years apart

    My grandma Prudence Mary Haynes and her twin brother Ernest James were born 2 Feb 1907 in Watford, Northamptonshire. However grandma was baptised 1 April 1907 and Jim was baptised 7th March 1909. I can only think that maybe grandma had been very poorly as a baby and so was baptised quickly; would this be documented anywhere as no living relative can shed light on this? Next to the baptism entry is the word "privately" - is there any significance to this?
    Many thanks for any help

    Janice

  • #2
    Yes - private baptism is carried out when a baby is very ill and not expected to survive. Anyone (any Christian) can privately baptise an unbaptised person in extremis - midwives often did this but also the curate might be called to the house.

    Normally a child privately baptised, who survived, would be later received into the church in a baptism ceremony which has slightly different wording, to reflect that they have been baptised already.

    One other reason for private baptism was for the local gentry, who didn't want to appear in church in front of everyone to have their baby baptised.

    OC

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    • #3
      Thank you, that's very interesting. Would the subsequent 'baptism ceremony' be recorded do you know and where?

      They weren't local gentry - but interesting nontheless :-)

      Thanks

      Janice

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      • #4
        Janice

        Well, the "received into the church" ought to be recorded but sometimes it wasn't (or the ceremony wasn't done). I would have thought in this case that the ceremony would have been done at the same time as the other twin was baptised in church.

        OC

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        • #5
          Thank you for your help

          Janice

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