Advice on finding a lost baptism record

[sunshine18]

Hi there, have currently hit a brickwall with my COOPER family of London. Sarah COOPER is meant to have been born abt 1793-4 in MIDDLESEX, LONDON to Charles and Alice. Unfortunately I have been unable to find a suitable baptism in the right area. Has anyone any ideas? Is it possible they did not baptise Sarah? Any ideas of other records I can use to find out more about the family in LONDON?

[wozzle]

this is the only one i can see
sarah cooper daughter of charles and alice cooper was baptised on the 8th november 1795 at st.leonards church,streatham,surrey

[Plummiegirl]

I would think that far more people were NOT baptised than were.  The vast majority of people living in London at this time would have been very poor.

I have whole branches of family where only the occassional child in the family is baptised, either because it was sickly or they were a bit flush at the time.

And do not discount the child being baptised many years after their birth.

When families had a bit more money they would often baptise several children at the same time as new baby, probably got a discount for volume from local church!!!

[nanny jan]

Hi,

I thought that you did not pay for a baptism.       Many of my lines were ag. labs etc. but baptised their children.



Nanny Jan

[Plummiegirl]

I believe you 'paid' the vicar/priest for the use of the church/his time

Nothing in free in the church

[Maggie1895]

Wozzle, I had a look at the baptisms and as you say, there's really only one candidate around that time for a Sarah Cooper, daughter of Charles and Alice.  Lots of Sarah Coopers daughters of Charles, but in the other cases the name of the mother is different.
What's puzzled me though is looking at the original, I'm not entirely sure if I'm reading it correctly.  If I am, the three columns show the little girl born in December 1794, named October 11 (1795) and baptised on November 8 1795.   Looks to be the only entry in the list with all 3 columns (birth, naming, baptism) with different dates - all the others have just 2 dates, for the birth and baptism, and the naming column left blank.
Anybody out there with detailed knowledge of why the naming might be entered as a different date?

p.s Sunshine 18, Plummiegirl is right about baptisms not necessarily following soon after the birth.    I have strands where 5 or 6 children in one family were all baptised together, the elder children being over 10 at that time: perhaps they waited until they were certain the family was complete and need only pay once!

[nanny jan]

Hi,

Found this on a Church of England site about baptisms:


What does it cost?

A. A Baptism service is free, though there may be a small charge for a certificate. Ask your parish priest.



Nanny Jan

[lizdb]

. Sarah COOPER is meant to have been born abt 1793-4 in MIDDLESEX, LONDON to Charles and Alice.

"London" is a huge area containing hundreds of parishes.

To search them all would be a mammoth task.

I would imagine that the most probable reason you have not found Sarah's christening is that you just havent yet searched the right parish!

[wozzle]

Wozzle, I had a look at the baptisms and as you say, there's really only one candidate around that time for a Sarah Cooper, daughter of Charles and Alice.  Lots of Sarah Coopers daughters of Charles, but in the other cases the name of the mother is different.
What's puzzled me though is looking at the original, I'm not entirely sure if I'm reading it correctly.  If I am, the three columns show the little girl born in December 1794, named October 11 (1795) and baptised on November 8 1795.   Looks to be the only entry in the list with all 3 columns (birth, naming, baptism) with different dates - all the others have just 2 dates, for the birth and baptism, and the naming column left blank.
Anybody out there with detailed knowledge of why the naming might be entered as a different date?

p.s Sunshine 18, Plummiegirl is right about baptisms not necessarily following soon after the birth.    I have strands where 5 or 6 children in one family were all baptised together, the elder children being over 10 at that time: perhaps they waited until they were certain the family was complete and need only pay once!

there are 3 others on that page who have all 3 columns filled in