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Archiver > MORAY > 2003-01 > 1042022529


From: "Anne Burgess" <>
Subject: Re: [MORAY] UNDERSTANDING PARISH REGISTERS
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2003 10:42:51 -0000
References: <200212080501.gB851tYd025848@lists2.rootsweb.com> <00fa01c29ed7$f8e4d9e0$37422850@leemac> <000401c29eef$0a641a20$1b31cf18@Default> <002f01c29f03$c6d28980$a3ba7ad5@oemcomputer> <000601c2b6f6$9a04a180$1b31cf18@Default>


> Firstly it looks like all of the children were born in Whitemire -
although
> the spelling of the place changes slightly with the parish priest's
> spelling... I have Whitemere and Whitemyre.
This is normal. Spelling was highly variable until about 1900, so the only
rule is, never deduce anything from how a place name or personal name was
spelled. It depended on the clerk or minister who wrote it down. (In
Scotland we would normally use the phrase 'parish priest' to refer to a
Roman Catholic clergyman, by the way. The incumbent of the parish church
would be referred to as the minister.)

> I don't understand what the word is after the date of baptism... I'm
> thinking maybe the Parish name? It looks like Whitnefres... would someone
> know what that is?
Witnesses.

> Also there are a list of people after the birth and baptism information.
> Would these be witnesses to the baptism?
Yes.

> Would they have been present at the baptism?
Yes.

> After each name it says "in (name of village or parish)" Would this
> be where they lived or where they were born?
It would be where they were living at the time of the baptism.

> I ask because there would be
> say a John and a Jean McIntosh, but the places after their names wouldn't
be
> the same. So I'm wondering if these people would be married couples or
> relatives.
Probably relatives.

> One last question... in Scotland was there a naming pattern?
Yes.

First son after father's father
Second son after mother's father
Third son after father
Subsequent sons after great-grandfathers, uncles, cousins, friends,
neighbours, doctor, schoolmaster, minister, and deceased older brothers

First daughter after mother's mother
Second daughter after father's mother
Third daughter after mother
Subsequent daughters after great-grandmothers, aunts, cousins, friends,
neighbours, wife of doctor, schoolmaster, minister, and deceased older
sisters

> It seems like
> the names of the people after the child's baptism seemed to all be people
> that were named the same as the child. Eg... 4 men named John at the
baptism
> of John. 4 men named Alexander at the baptism of Alexander.
That is customary.

> On all of the
> baptisms there was the name of one female at the end of the list of men.
Also usual.

> Were children named after friends rather than the British way of
grandmother
> and granfather's names?
They could be, but the naming pattern was quite widespread. The witnesses
would normally include the individual after whom the child was named, but
also others, often but not always with the same name.

HTH

Anne

PS Scotland is part of Britain, so the Scottish way is a British way, even
if it differs from the English way, or the Welsh way, which of course are
also British ways <G>



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