The Lemon Fool

Just looking at some old parish baptism records, and one or two baptism have later additions, one 10 years later and another 20 years later, both saying, "Admitted into the congregation".
Any idea what this means?

Perhaps the equivalent of what we now call confirmation, perhaps? Don't really know.

Baptism (into the church)

it was in baptism records so a subsequent baptism is unlikely.

NomoneyNohoney wrote:it was in baptism records so a subsequent baptism is unlikely.

I agree with the previous suggestion that it could entail a subsequent rite/sacrament - such as confession, confirmation or marriage; which could give the timings mentioned?
I can also imagine it might apply in cases where someone had been "kicked out" but let back in
You don't mention the denomination which might help narrow down the search, it could also be a regional nuance.

-sd

It was in Norfolk... pretty sure its CoE.

Affirming one's belief in the Christian tenets, rather than being assumed to be a Christian just because some bloke dunked you in a fountain when you were an ickle baby.

Confirmation

This public profession of faith is sometimes referred to as confirmation. It occurs from around the age of 16, and admits the individual to all the rights and privileges of Church membership. The person's name is then added to the congregation's communion roll and they become eligible to vote in Church meetings and be elected to offices such as the eldership.

https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/abo ... the-church

… probably also applies to CoE

In the Catholic Church it can be done as young as 7

pje16 wrote:In the Catholic Church it can be done as young as 7

I'm pretty sure they're trying to stamp that kind of thing out!?

In the days of high infant mortality, it was (and still is) acceptable to the C of E and Church of Rome for a midwife to baptise new-born children that were in extremis. If baptism followed the correct form and the child survived, it was later admitted or received into the church and this would be noted in the baptism record. It is, I guess, possible that the parents assumed that such a midwife baptism was then 'complete' and only realised that more was needed when the child was brought forward for confirmation.

This 'exemption' was specially apposite to adherents of the Church of Rome because until recently they followed the magisterium concept of limbo to where an unbaptised child would be consigned.

Parish records – as opposed to the post-1837 civil registrations – rarely contain birth dates, but as infant mortality was then high it was usual for a child to be baptised within a day or two after birth if it was sickly and within around three weeks otherwise.

I'm so sorry! I've only just seen this beautiful explanation, which seems wholly likely to be my answer.

My family came from rural Norfolk, and I was shocked to see perhaps six children born to one mother, that each died within a few days. It saddened me more with a different observation.
It looks like there was a tradition that a father would give his first-born the same name as his, so there was effectively Robert Senior and Robert Junior and then subsequent children got different names. The one that haunts me the most was, Robert Senior beget Robert Junior, Robert Junior died, so child No. 5 (approx.) became the second son called Robert - and he too died very quickly. Sad beyond belief.