Still born child

[rob123]

It is possible to find out any information about a still born child, despite not having a date of birth, also would the child be christened and if so is it possible to find out details about this and where would I go about doing so

[Elaine ..Spain]

Rob, there is a small section in our wiki about this - not sure if it helps at all.
Stillbirth - Family Tree Forum

[Olde Crone Holden]

Rob

Stillborn children are not normally baptised or christened, although members on here have produced a few occasions where there is a posthumous baptism - usually centuries ago, though.

OC

[Just Barbara]

I can remember reading about still born infants being taken to a sympathetic verger and buried at the head or feet of the next interment, or being quietly buried by the graveyard wall or under it's hedge.

[Mary from Italy]

Stillborns are often registered in cemetery burial registers under the surname, possibly with the parents' Christian names. They usually seem to be buried with another (often unrelated) adult, or in a common grave.

So if you have an idea of where the child might be buried, it might be worth asking the cemetery to do a search of their registers.

[Hugo]

I can accept that when each church had it's own burial ground, only people accepted into that faif could be burried there.

However, whith non-denominitional graveyards I would have thought that if a family wanted to bury a still-born child in their lair then that would have been acceptable.

I could be wrong, again!

Hugo

[Olde Crone Holden]

Hugo

Well, there is no law or rule to say that a stillborn child cannot be buried in a family grave, but many people would not warrant the cost of opening a family grave in order to bury a stillborn infant.

There would also be, in earlier years, the thought that you were putting an unbaptised baby in with relatives who HAD been baptised, and therefore endangering their souls. This is why stillborn infants were buried on the perimeter of the grave yard without any grave markings, so as not to attract the attention of the Devil.

Perimeter burials were still going on to my knowledge in 1965.

OC

[Guy]

Every person who dies within a parish had the right to be buried in the churchyard of the parish church.
This right extended to everybody no matter what faith, or whether baptised or unbaptised.

The reason for burials under the churchyard wall was actually a very simple one. An infant only took up a tiny portion of a grave plot and if buried in a normal grave would take up a disproportionate amount of room in a limited space.
It became the custom to bury infants under the churchyard wall in small plots.
Cheers
Guy

[KiteRunner]

Guy, I don't think that a stillborn child would count as somebody dying in the parish, as s/he would never have legally been alive, nor would they be considered to have the right to be buried in a particular place.

[Penelope]

I dunno but am guessing gestation would also have some bearing on whether the child was seen as 'stillborn' or 'miscarried'. I could be wrong but I think the modern legal definition of a stillbirth is post 28 weeks' gestation? Something like that.

Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' has a very moving scene, where Tess's baby (not stillborn but ailing and dies soon after birth) is not officially christened, so the vicar refuses to bury the baby in the churchyard. She ends up being forced to bury it outside the church walls. Presumably, a stillborn baby would also rarely have the benefit of baptism, so would be a 'non person' in the eyes of the church. Some vicars would be more hard line than others. I have never seen a reference to stillbirth as such in parish registers round here but that's not to say it didn't get recorded in other parishes.

[Olde Crone Holden]

If you look at the LAN-OPC site for Blackburn, Lancs, you will see recorded many burials of " an abortive infant", which was the old term for a stillbirth or possibly a miscarried child.

In St Ives, Cornwall, the old parish burial ground is built on a slope down to the sea. Landslip often reveals old graves and when portions of the wall fall down, tiny skeletons are revealed, no doubt stillborn or very young infants.

OC

[Little Nell]

I thought infant babies were often buried in a recently-dug grave with any adult that had conveniently died.

[Mary from Italy]

That's right. Since 1837 (I think) a stillbirth certificate has to be produced to the cemetery, which enters the details in its registers. So you can often find them in cemetery registers, although they don't appear in parish registers.

[Guy]

Yes, many were, but that depended on another person dying "at" the same time.
This was common in larger towns and cities with burials most days but rare in the smaller parishes with few burials a month.

The law was changed from 1875 when the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1874 came into force.
This Act contained the following-

"19. Where there is in the coffin in which any deceased person is brought for burial the body of any other deceased person, or the body of any still-born child, the undertaker or other person who has charge of the funeral shall deliver to the person who buries or performs any funeral or religious service for the burial of such body or bodies notice in writing signed by such undertaker or other person, and stating to the best of his knowledge and belief with respect of each body the following particulars : "

There are numerous books on church and clergy law which correct the facts about still-births and unbaptised, etc. being buried in church-yards.
Cheers
Guy

[Guy]

That's right. Since 1837 (I think) a stillbirth certificate has to be produced to the cemetery, which enters the details in its registers. So you can often find them in cemetery registers, although they don't appear in parish registers.

Entries of still-births do appear in parish registers
Parish Register, Buildwas, Shropshire, 1696
30 Sep. Sara, d. of Peter & Sarah Wolly, born Sep. 9th .. .. .. bap.
The other was still-borne & bur. Sep. 9th.

Parish Register, Alberbury, Shropshire, 1657
Oct. 17. An infant, still-borne, of John Cottrell, on Onslow's Heath .. borne
The said infant buried the same day.

Parish Register, St Chad's, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, 1629
Mar. 13. A still-borne Child of Roger Ammblar ... b.
1633.
Feb. 28. A still Borne Chilld of Hugh Nevetes ... b.
1634
July 23. A Stll Bourne Child of Thomas Ghough b.
1635.
Oct. 30. A Still Bourn Child of Greffrey Griffis... b.
1648.
June 29. A still-borne child of Thos. Meredith, bruar, in Frankwell ... ... bur.

I could go on but I think it is obvious from the above that still-born infants were registered in the Parish Registers.
Cheers
Guy

[JBee]

When I contacted Forfar cemetary about a grave - they sent me the details of 3 graves purchased by the family (which was a real bonus).

In one was a stillborn child of OH's g grandparents which probably explains why they only had one living child.

[Jessbowbag]

I'n my local churchyard, there are 3 or 4 headstone, all in their own right with the wording ''born sleeping'' or words to that effect - recent history yes, but it does happen

[Olde Crone Holden]

The practice of putting stillborn infants into the coffin of a recently deceased person still goes on and is a very old custom, again designed to protect the unbaptised infant from the attention of the devil.

It also means that the unbaptised infant receives the burial rites of the christian church, which would otherwise be denied to it.

Guy

The examples you quote show that the stillborn infant was BURIED. No one is disputing that, it is WHERE the child was buried and whether the funeral rites were performed. For those buried round the perimeter, no funeral rites were performed. (Perimeter burials might also include murderers and suicides in the old days, but these would be OUTSIDE the churchyard wall, in unhallowed ground)

OC

[rob123]

Thanks everyone that all makes very interesting reading, as a matter of interest would the stillborn child generally be given a name?

[KiteRunner]

I think that is likely to depend on what period you are talking about - I think it is much more usual to give a stillborn child a name nowadays than it was in the past.