Need a little help reading RCE

[CathieL]

I have an 1868 birth cert for William Corrigan, he is illegitimate but the father has signed his name on it or rather made his mark. There is also an RCE and I am having a little trouble reading it and I am wondering why there would be one in the first place. I will upload them both and maybe some kind soul can help with it.
The father Michael Corrigan and the mother Margaret Thomson married in 1880

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1346
http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1347

Regards
Cathie

Gallery URLs added - AndrewP

[CathieL]

Thank you Andrew
Cathie

[AndrewP]

Hi Cathie,

It is unusual for a paternity RCE to be made when the father was already named on the birth certificate and was there at the registration. The only new information that I can see given on the RCE which was not on the original certificate is the alias name of the father, which I think says Harmoway.

I make the text of the RCE to be:

• Page 240
  Register of Corrected Entries
  for the District of High Church
  in the Burgh of Glasgow
  
  In the Fourth Column of Entry No 2257 in the Register Book of Births for the year 1868, before the name of the child's mother insert Michael Corrigan alias Harmoway, Puddler on the authority of a Certificate in the form of Schedule F to the following effect:- In an action pertaining to the Parernity of a male child, born at Pettigrew Street, Glasgow on or about the 27th day of September 1868 at the instance of Poor Margaret Thomson residing at No 3 Pettigrew St., Glasgow against Michael Corrigan alias Harmoway, Puddler and residing at No 5 Middleton Place, Garngad Road, Glasgow. The Sheriff Court at Glasgow on the 23rd day of July 1869 found that the said child was the illegitimate child of Poor Margaret Thomson and Michael Corrigan or Harmoway.
  
  1869 August 6th at Glasgow
  Peter Ferguson, Registrar
  
  6th July 1870
  GB Exⁿ.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Russell]

Hi Cathie

The text of the RCE is

Page 240
Register of Corrected entries
For the district of High Church
In the Burgh of Glasgow

In the fourth column of entry number 2257 in the Register Book of Births for 1868 before the name of the child’s mother insert Michael Corrigan alias Hannaway, Puddler, on the authority of a certificate in the form of a Schedule F, to the following effect:-
In an action relating the paternity of a male child, born at Pettigrew Street, Glasgow on, or about, the 27th day of September, 1868, at the instance of Poor Margaret Thomson residing at No 3 Pettigrew St, Glasgow, against Michael Corrigan alias Hannaway, Puddler and residing at No 5 Middleton Place, Garngad Road, Glasgow. The Sheriff Court of Glasgow, on the 29th day of July 1869. Found that the said child was the illigitimate child of the said Poor Margaret Thomson and Michael Corrigan alias Hannaway
1869 August 6th at Glasgow
Peter Ferguson Registrar

Margaret Thomson was unable to afford to make a paternity claim against Michael Corrigan so she was given legal assistance to make her claim in court which explains the 'Poor' Margaret Thomson description. The parish must have thought she had a cast iron case to offer this support.
Because the court had found him to be the guilty party the original Birth entry was amended to include his name as Father. This meant that he would carry some financial responsibility to support the child. In practice this meant little as guilty fathers often moved out of the district or joined the army as a way of dodging their responsibility but it did ameliorate somewhat Margaret's position although it did not exonerate her from her guilt in the affair.

If they married at a later date - no matter how much later - this effectively legitimised the child although it would have required yet another RCE to have the 'Illigitimate' corrected on the original entry.

Russell

I see that Andrew was quicker at the keyboard than I was.

[CathieL]

Thank you very much Andrew and Russell, what a strange family this is turning out to be Would there be somewhere I could look to find the court case?
Regards
Cathie

[Russell]

Hi Cathie

I gather that there is little chance of finding any detailed papers on Sheriff Court cases. Apart from a few specimen cases most are destroyed.
Unless it was a high profile case or newsworthy for some other reason it is unlikely to have made the local newspaper either or, at most, have a two line entry which would give little more information than the RCE has already given you.

Few of us find relatives who are of sufficient note to make the local rag.

Russell

[CathieL]

Thank you for that Russell, I will plod on with the rest of the family k
Cathie