Base children and illegitimate children?

[Mal]

Is there a difference between
base child and illegitimate for those naughty ancestors between the sheets of ours that pop up in the records? ;D It seems quite harsh but I have also seen the word "bastard" used.
Thanks

[gandolf]

My understanding is that there is no real difference, the use of different words dependant on the person applying the description.

A more formal definition found on the net:
(From Ancestral Trails, original edition and Tate’s The Parish Chest)
Compiled Nov 2004 by Richard W. Price

Bastard is properly the base child of a father of gentle or noble birth, but more generally any illegitimate child; child born out of wedlock, base-born child; basterino; pack-saddle child; natural child; of natural birth; unfathered, etc.

[londoner]

not always so naughty - my 4xgt grandfather had "an illegitimate child begot on the body of..." his wife had only had one daughter who had died age 12 and he left all his estate to this child, with lengthy provision for guardians should his wife die before or soon after him - which did indeed happen. the child, my 3x gt grandfather was christened "base child of ..." maybe one term was preferred by the church and one by the legal bods?

[donne]

Of great interest to the family historian are the parish bastardy bonds. These provided an early form of child support, which prevented the fatherless family being a charge to parish funds. Usually three men would stand surety, the putative father and two of his friends or relations.

I found an example in the CRO from St Erth Parish dated 4 October 1780, where one of my ancestors, James DONNE described as a tinner of the Parish of Crowan, William BLIGHT tinner, of the town of Marazion and Joseph BLIGHT, husbandman of the Parish of St Erth all stand surety for the cost of supporting Ann WARD and her unborn child. Reference to St Erth parish registers shows a baptism 21 Jan 1781 of Ann WARD daughter of Ann WARD and Joseph BLIGHT.

The sum involved seemed huge for the time, something like £100 as I recall, but no doubt worth risking to save a friend or kinsman from a prison sentence.

[trencrom]

Aug 3, 2008 22:22:55 GMT -5 gandolf said:

My understanding is that there is no real difference, the use of different words dependant on the person applying the description.

That's my understanding as well.

[donne]

What makes the English language such a delight is that there is usually at least two words for everthing you want to say! My dictionary tags 'base' or 'base-born' as 'archaic' and these terms are most likely to be found in 18th century and earlier parish registers.

As I understand it, both terms, illegitimate and base-born, could be applied to a child born when its parents are not married. On investigation, I was surprised to learn that in English law, it was only by an Act of Parliament as late as 1922 that a child was automatically legitimised by the subsequent marriage of the parents.

[tonymitch]

My grandmother used to say..."There 'aint no such thing as illegitimate childer. Only illegitimate parents."

Tony M

[freddyfrog]

Aug 3, 2008 14:35:23 GMT -5 Mal said:

Is there a difference between
base child and illegitimate for those naughty ancestors between the sheets of ours that pop up in the records? ;D It seems quite harsh but I have also seen the word "bastard" used.
Thanks

Hi I may be a basard but on my birht certificate my mother is listed as YOUR Grandmother?? figure that one out, best of luck old boy !


D.Davies (Australia) And I have your GGrandfathers WW2 paperwork , Oh and did I mention YOUR Grandmother has Australian citizen ship that would be (Doris Lydia CANN / Davies) I have that certificate also all available on request if you would like a copy.
;D