Baptised twice??? Tarvin, Cheshire. ASTBURY, ASPEY, HASPEY

[Rowan Tree]

Have I come across someone baptised twice?

I have John and Catherine ASTBURY / ASPEY / HASPEY (I've come across LOTS of spelling variations for this name) with the following children all baptised at St. Andrew, Tarvin.

John c. 1808. Bapt. 20 March 1908
Thomas c. 1810. Bapt. 2 December 1810
William c. 1814. Bapt. 30 November 1817
Samuel c. 1817. Bapt. 30 November 1817
Job b. 27/05/1819. Bapt. 8 November 1840
Edward b. 13/01/1821. Bapt. 22 November 1840

As you can see, William and Samuel were baptised on the same day, and Job and Edward were baptised as young adults.

What's really puzzling me is that on the day that William and Samuel were baptised, a John was also baptised.
At first I thought there must be two babies named John with the first baby dying. But I can't find a death/burial.
Also, I've found a John ASPEY on the 1851 census who appears to be the John baptised in 1808.

Could John born c. 1808 have been baptised twice? Once in 1808 and again, at the same church in 1817? Has anyone come across anything like this before?

This is the adult John that I've found;

Married at St. Lawrence, Stoak, Cheshire to Mary Sigley 28/11/1842. Father appears as John ASPEY, labourer.

Eldest child from this marriage is named John b. 1845.
There is also a child named Kate b. 1851 (named after John's mother perhaps).

I believe this adult John is the John that registers the death of his mother, Catherine ASPEY in June 1859. On the informant part of the death cert. it reads: "x The mark of John ASPEY Junr. present at the death. Oscroft, Tarvin, Cheshire."
John's father (also named John) was still alive, which is why it perhaps says John APSEY Junr.

If anyone wants to see the 1851 census that I mentioned, here are the details:
HO107/2172/468 p10

Head - John ASPEY - 42 (c. 1809) - Born Ashton, Cheshire
Wife - Mary ASPEY - 40
Son - John ASPEY - 6
Daughter - Jane ASPEY - 4
Daughter - Kate ASPEY - 2 months

I don't know what happened to John after 1859.

Many thanks, Rowan Tree 

[PrawnCocktail]

I've seen it before, several times.

Either no-one could remember whether the infant had been baptised before,  so did it again to be sure, or the first time may have been a Private Baptism, although unmarked as such in the register, and the second time was being Received into the Church (again unmarked). Some vicars marked these occasions as what they were, others didn't.

Sometimes they were two infants, despite the lack of a burial - very small infants were sometimes buried with a.n.other adult, didn't have their own funeral, and may not have been recorded in the register.

The only thing to do is use the Census, eventual burial, or a wedding to provide you with an approximate date of birth. Otherwise, you're on your own.

[Rowan Tree]

Thanks 

That's actually very helpful. Until now, I hadn't knowingly come across someone who had been baptised twice.

It's reassuring to know you've encountered this before and more than once.

After reading your comment, I think this is either an instance where the parents simply couldn't remember and wanted to make sure, or the private baptism scenario. 

It's just nice to know that this actually happened.

Thanks for your insight,

Rowan Tree 

[rosie99]

Just to add to PrawnCocktail's post.   
Private baptisms were normally done at home when a child was not expected to live and the second entry was when they were well enough to be received into the church.  This was a fairly common occurrence

[Sandrafamilytree]

I have a relative who was baptised twice.

When she was born, she was baptised in her home town.

Her mother died following childbirth, and her aunt and her husband then took her into their home. She was baptised again at their local church.

[Rowan Tree]

Many thanks to Rosie and Sandra,

It's so valuable getting input from RootsChatters.

I'm able to look at my 2 x curious baptisms in a new light and with better understanding.

Rowan Tree 

[KGarrad]

I'm not religious,but the last time I went to a C of E Christening service, I asked the priest what the difference was between a Christening and a Baptism (in C of E terms).
The answer I was given was:

Christenings name a child while baptisms initiate people into the church.
While many Christians use these terms interchangeably, they have slightly different meanings.
A christening is a ceremony in which a child is given their Christian name in the presence of the church, family, and friends.
A baptism is a religious sacrament, or ritual, that initiates someone into Christianity. Typically, a minister or priest uses water to baptize someone in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Many christenings also include a baptism, which is why the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. However, christenings don’t always include a baptism.

[Rowan Tree]

KGarrad,

That's fascinating. I'd genuinely thought baptism and christening were synonyms. In fact, a friend recently asked me about this. They wondered if a christening was C of E and a baptism R.C. I told them that a christening and a baptism were the same and simply synonyms of each other. I was wrong!

I'm really glad you've shared this. Thanks.

A quick question relating to this. I build my tree on Ancestry. Most of the time a baptism/christening record is listed as a baptism on Ancestry, but occasionally it's listed as a christening. Is there a significance in how the event is listed on Ancestry? If the event is listed as a christening, rather than a baptism, does this mean a different event took place (as you described)?

Regards, Rowan Tree 

[KGarrad]

The two ceremonies are almost always performed at the same time; which is why the 2 terms are treated the same.

In fact, I would guess that most people don't realise there are 2 ceremonies.
For most purposes the terms are interchangeable.