Parish Records

[OzJane]

Hi
I have isolated an ancestor bapt 1796 at "Church of England Chapelry Westhoughton Lancs" where only the mother's name is recorded.
Two siblings bapt 1790 and 1810 also have only the mother's name recorded. Logical explanation was illegitimacy (though am open to other explanations, especially given the time frame: 3 illegitimate chlidren over a 20 year period.) A kind rootschatter checked the original for me in Manchester and there is no further information provided in the record.
 
No record of a marriage there or near by.

Then in looking for the mother's baptism, same again, only her mother's name is recorded.  ???No church given on IGI, just "Deane by Bolton Lancs". No other baptisms recorded in the same way.

Is it possible that 2 generations of women produced illegitimate children, are there some churches that would only record a mother's name?
Please can anyone suggest an explanation? Or am I just being naive in thinking that it is possible 2 generations could produce illegitimate children, was this common at that time?
Thanks
ozJane

[BridgetM]

My maternal grandmother had an illegitimate child--and so did her mother, my g grandmother.

[BumbleB]

I've got three generations in one of my families.  The first was a widow who produced two children following her husband's death (and for which she was excommunicated), her daughter produced a daughter who, in turn, produced a son.  Timescale was 1780 - 1819.

BumbleB

[charlotteCH]

I agree that it was not uncommon-and it wouldnot be unreasonable to assume in putting your tree together that this is how it was.

charlotte

[OzJane]

Thank you all for your responses, most appreciated and reassuring that illegitimacy was not uncommon.
I now won't  spend years looking for a father I will never be able to identify. I can just stick with the maternal line.
Ironically enough I am in the process of searching for a potential family of an illegitimate child on the other side of my family.
I think there is a pattern developing here.

Thanks for the feedback

OzJane

[Ermintrude46]

It might be worth contacting the Lancs Records Office http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/education/record_office/ on the off chance that there are surviving bastardy bonds for the parish you are interested in.  If the mother relied on help from the parish to support herself and her children the Overseers of the Poor may well have made attempts to make the father(s) pay maintainance costs.
Ermy

[Tipps]

Hi OzJane,

I have a copy of the Poor Rate for Westhoughton for 1839, which is the earliest year available.  If you let me know what names you have I'll have a look for you.

Westhoughton, at this period, was a very poor town with more than 3 times as many 'poor' than Horwich had.  Most of these poor are single mothers which reflects the poverty of the time, but some are also elderly or infirm.  The standard weekly payment for a couple or a woman with children was 1 shilling 6 pence, and they probably had to pay rent out of that as well as feed and clothe themselves.  The Poor Rate for 1839 shows the amount given weekly (I have it totalled over the quarter), but it also gives a year of birth for the recipient.

Regards, Tipps

p.s.  1 shilling 6 pence would, today have the same spending power as £3.31.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency/default0.asp#mid

[OzJane]

Hi Tipps and Ermy and thank you for your responses.

Ermy, I will check out the Lancashire Records to see what I can find - the one thing I've learned is to keep trying!

Tipps, I think 1839 will be too late, however, if you never ask, you never know. I appreciate your offer. I was interested in the information that the area was very poor, it might go someway to explaining Eleanor's situation.

Eleanor Waddington produced 3 children all of whom were baptised at the "Chapelry Church of England Westhoughton" I assume that the parish was Westhoughton:

Betty baptd 18 Sept 1790
Thomas baptd 1 Oct 1796
William baptd 11 Mar 1810

I have found a record of an Eleanor Waddington baptd 19 Nov 1769 in Deane by Bolton, mother only given, Mary.
"Waddington" by the way is spelt with one "d" sometimes.

if you able to throw any light on any of the above, I'd be most grateful.

Regards

OzJane

[Tipps]

Hi,  There are no Waddingtons on 1839 or 1840 Poor Rate for Westhoughton. 

Ok, this is a bit of a longshot, but worth it when you're stuck.  Eleanor's son Thomas (1796) is on the 1851 census with his wife Sarah and children Class: HO107; Piece: 2216; Folio: 513; Page: 14. 

On the IGI there is a marriage of Thomas Waddington to Sarah Oaks in 1819 at Deane (St Mary's).  If Thomas knew who his father was, he should be recorded on the marriage register.  Unfortunately, this date 1819 is not transcribed yet on Lanc OPC, so it would need to be checked from the archives.  I can check for you next time I go if you like (should be going next week sometime).

Regards,

Tipps