Baptism tradition regarding witnesses in Glass parish,ABD...

Chris Paton · Post by **Chris Paton** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 8:39 pm

Hi All,

I always thought that at a christening, the witnesses would usually be members of the family, and usually siblings. But when doing some work with the OPR records for the parish of Glass in Aberdeenshire, I was stunned to see a pattern emerging regarding the names of the witnesses. All the kids being baptised in the family I was researching had witnesses with the same Christian name - so if the child was Alexander, there would be two or three Alexanders as witnesses, if a Jean, two Jeans as witnesses etc. I have at least eight or nine records where this applied, and whilst I have been able to establish a family connection to about two of the witnesses, the rest really do seem to have been along because they had the right name!

Can anyone tell if this is an east coast tradition, or one specific to that parish?

Thanks,

Chris

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:00 pm

Hi Chris

There was a tradition, the scope in terms of area and era I know not, that the witnesses to the wain's baptism should be of like given name, from members of the congregation, i.e. not necessarily related by blood.

David

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:03 pm

Hi Chris
Somewhere in D.J. Steele's book ""Sources for Scottish Genealogy and Family History" I seem to remember this is mentioned as being a pattern, and I'm sure it was a fishing area, Arbroath?, which was quoted.... - I just can't remember which page!!

Best wishes
Lesley

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:05 pm

p.76, Brechin, Angus!!

Chris Paton · Post by **Chris Paton** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 9:38 am

Thanks all, now I know I wasn't going mad! lol

Chris