Genealogy Chat

On a baptism record is the 'base child' of the mother suggesting mother was unmarried as there is no mention of father. Its probably stating the obvious, but I was curious, as other records seem to use the term illigitemate. Marion

Hi there, Base child is a common word for bastard. Some parish registers actually put bastard child in their registers, while other put single mother. Mary

I have come across on recently that give name of child, then child of mother, spinster. Depends on the parish I expect

I have read it as being "of spurious birth" also. In fact one not very charitably minded minister wrote in the records "Tommy Smith of spurious birth to that w....e Mary Smith". It certainly wasn't a very kind world in those days.

hi marion, i also have come across "base child" recently as well on the P/R i looked at if the parents married at a later date someone had gone back to the registers and added the parents date of marriage to the baptism records of all children concerned.On some of the records the children were actually baptised again after the marriage of there parents.On one i found the vicar had actually recorded the name of the "base childs" mother and father and the name of the fathers wife !!! kaz

It seems I'm not going to find out who my 3xGgrandfather's father was then. He also had an elder brother , also a base child (don't like the other word)! His mother must have had some reputation in those days, but she did get them baptized. Marion

Hello. I believe the correct full term is base born child. Keith

I'm not surprised they wrote less-than-complimentary things - they never could have imagined that 150 years later someone would be reading them! It's so easy to be disagreeable when you think you'll get away with it isn't it, long-deceased-vicar?