Schedule D

[wini]

I have found a RCE on a birth entry.

"In the first Column of Entry No. 20 in the Register Book of Births for the year of 1890 prefix Robert to the Christian name 'Angus William".
The above addition is made on the authority of a certificate in the form of Schedule D. signed by the Rev. Adam Gunn, F.C Minister of Durness.

11 the February 1891

Torquil Nicolson
Registrar"

What is Schedule D. and was the name Robert missed when registered or did they decide to add Robert at a later date?

wini

[Russell]

Hi Wini

I don't know anything about Schedule D but perhaps someone else will enlighten us, but I was talking to a retired Registrar recently and she was recounting tales of fathers coming in and trying to register their child with outlandish names and/or outrageous spellings. She would ask if they 'had been wetting the babies head' and send them home, birth unregistered until their wife was able to come in herself. Usually they would arrive dragging a sheepish looking husband and ask that the child be registered as Mary or Tommy or some other normal name.
When I registered my mothers death a week or so ago. The Registrar in Greenock said that she now asks the father to print the name on the back of a card index system they still use so that when an irate mother comes in they ask whether the writing belongs to her husband to prove that was the name he insisted on. I gather she has witnessed several cases of husband abuse in consequence.
The Glasgow expression "Hell mend him" springs to mind.

Russell

[AndrewP]

Hi Wini,

Schedule D was one of a series of schedules defined in the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages Act (Scotland), 1854. Schedule D was an application to change a name on a birth certificate following baptism by an amended name. This would be signed by the minister (priest, etc.) to declare that was the name the child was baptised as.

I will put together a list of these schedules and place it in the TalkingScot Library.

All the best,

AndrewP

[wini]

Thanks Russell and Andrew,

Will look for the list Andrew.
Russel, maybe registrars became cautious when fathers wanted to name their sons after the entire football team they supported, or a poor girl I went to school with christened Bubbles, she was unfortunately a rather chubby lass and her name did her no favours

wini

[Grendlsmother]

My grandfather was given the name of a brother, 18 months older than him and living. I think my gxgrandfather had perhaps been wetting the baby's head as he also gave the wrong surname for his wife and named her as Jeannie when I had only previously found her as Jane. (However Jeannie cropped up again later). He did however manage to get their wedding date correct! You can imagine how puzzling this was. To complicate matters the child was the only one of ten not born in the same place as all of his older and younger siblings, who were all born in the same village.

A search on my grandfather consistently came up with what I thought was the "wrong" certificate. It took a visit to the Registrar's Office in Ayr to confirm that it was the right one (this was before RCEs were available).

Now the intriguing thing is that I have never managed to find baptisms for any of the family, but the fact that the certificate is signed by the minister seems to indicate that a baptism took place (1884). Is there any way of getting hold of post 1855 baptisms (I know IGI has some, but doesn't seem to have these).

[Russell]

Hi Grendlsmother

Most Church of Scotland parishes kept Baptismal Registers, some even framed the most recent ones and hung them on the wall of the church hall or vestry. The better ordered churches often had the older baptismal records bound into book form but the records in others may have been lost or damaged over the years.

If you know the name of the church where the baptism took place, and it is still an active church they may be able to access the records for you although some church records were given over to West George Street in Edinburgh.
Most of the records from churches which are no longer places of worship would likewise have been handed over to the main church archives.
Active churches these days often have web sites which come up when you Google in the name of the church so you may be able to identify the church or churches from old maps of the area or Town directories of the period.

Russell

[trish1]

One of my g grandmothers named at least 2 (may be 3) of her sons Matthew. Her father was Matthew, a number of her children died as infants & it appears she wanted to be sure she had a surviving son Matthew. Of course the 2 survived. My grandfather's certificate has an adendum to state that his name was changed to Francis at baptism (when he was 18 months old). All his life he was known as Jack.

Trish

[joette]

One of my g grandmothers named at least 2 (may be 3) of her sons Matthew. Her father was Matthew, a number of her children died as infants & it appears she wanted to be sure she had a surviving son Matthew. Of course the 2 survived. My grandfather's certificate has an adendum to state that his name was changed to Francis at baptism (when he was 18 months old). All his life he was known as Jack.

Trish

Then we wonder when we can't find them in the Records!

[Grendlsmother]

Hi Russell

Thanks for your reply. I've just spotted it as I forgot to tick the notify box.

I'm not sure where the baptism was, but the "D" certificate is signed by the "Minister of Annbank", so it was presumably there or perhaps Tarbolton. I have previously tried to find church sites for both these places with no success (recordwise).

Ever onwards!!!