Old Parish Registers – Births and Baptisms

Old Parish Register birth and baptism entries contain much less information than the statutory register of births. The most that you can expect to find is:

• the name of the child
• whether the child was legitimate (lawful) or illegitimate (natural)
• date of baptism (and sometimes the date of birth)
• parents’ names (although mothers’ names are not always recorded)
• place or parish of residence
• father’s occupation
• names of witnesses and occasionally occupations or their relationship to the child (if any)
• the minister’s name and church where the baptism took place

This guide provides examples of:

• Baptism entries in a well-kept register
• Baptism entries containing little information
• A baptism entry for several children from the same family

Baptism Entries in a Well-Kept Register

This example from the Old Parish Register for Perth (OPR 387/14) shows a page from a well-kept register.

Entries include:

• dates of birth and baptism
• father’s occupation
• mother’s name
• name of the minister who baptised the child.

Baptism Entries Containing Little Information

In the worst cases the mother's name is not recorded. In this example from the Old Parish Register for Creich (OPR 418/10) entries for 1713 give father’s name, child’s name and date of baptism.

Entries for Several Children from the Same Family

Occasionally two or more children are baptised together or their details are entered in the register at the same time. The last entry on this page from the Old Parish Register for Edinburgh (OPR 685-10/55) contains the baptisms of the Mercer sons and daughters who were born in India between 1812 and 1817 alongside their brothers and sisters who were born in Scotland.

There are more examples of Old Parish Register births and baptisms on our Genealogical Gems page.