Multiple Same Family Baptisms, would EIGHT be some kind of a record...?

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Everyone,
On Friday afternoon, while looking for entries in Nonconformist registers for the AYRES family of Cambridgeshire at the CCRO I came across the following multiple entry of baptisms for the same family at the Ely Wesleyan Chapel on 18th June 1849:
Sarah Ann aged 15, Matilda aged 13, Matthew aged 12, William aged 10, Joseph aged 8, James aged 7, Abraham aged 5 and Elizabeth Ann aged 8 months.
I seem to remember having read somewhere of a vicar who was in charge of Manchester Cathedral in the late 18thC who conducted enormous mass baptisms on the same time, but this involved lots of different families.
But might EIGHT members of the same AYRES family constitute some kind of baptismal record at one go...?
Very best wishes, keith

[aghadowey]

I can equal eight baptisms for one family at the same time. In May 1920 a local couple baptised 2 of their children (one aged 2 years and other aged 2 months). The parents were married in June 1920. Then, in Feb.1921 they had another 8 baptised (ranging in age from 14 years to 2 months). Local story is that the father delivered half the children to the church and told the Rector to start with them while he went for the rest of the children!

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi again, Aghadowey,
Those are the kind of stories that light up family history!  I wish I knew the circumstances surrounding the AYRES multiple baptisms.  Wonder whether the two teenagers felt awkward and didn't really want to be there; wonder whether the 8-month-old bawled...
keith

[Auntieteabag]

Hello
An old post I know, but I have just picked up on it. I too have found multiple baptisms, whilst researching my family tree and was wondering why it was done.
I would have thought that due to the high child mortality rate, they would have had there little ones baptised asap.
Am I being particularly dim here?
Was it a question of cost.

Auntieteabag

[Ayashi]

Sad if you think that somewhere out there, someone might have on their tree that a couple baptised octuplets...

[Auntieteabag]

Hello Ayashi

Sorry i don't understand your reply.

 I was just wondering why people waited a few years and then had several children baptised at the same time.

Auntieteabag

[Ayashi]

I was half joking. Sometimes you get trees where people assume that because several children were christened on the same day, they must be twins or even triplets or more!

[MJW]

Have a look at this link which suggests that not all parents bothered to have their children baptised as infants because so many died at a young age - also that the cost was often beyond the means of the working poor.

http://www.genealogyintime.com/GenealogyResources/Articles/a_date_guide_to_English_genealogy_part1_page03.html

I do a lot of transcribing of baptism records for an online parish clerks project and I've come across many examples where a "batch" of a family's children of different ages are baptised on the same day.  I've never seen a batch of 8 though but certainly 3 or 4.

I always thought that there was no charge for a baptism but maybe I'm wrong on that.

Malcolm

[Keith Sherwood]

Good to see this old thread chugging into life after a pause of over five years.  And very interesting the comments you make, Malcolm...
I really don't know the answer to the baptism charge thing - someone will know for sure here on Rootschat, and I expect they'll come on to tell us.  I really ought to know how much the C of E charges for a baptism in a church now, and how it compares with a Registry Office one...
Keith