Way Back Wednesday: B is for Baptism

Date:
June 22, 2016

Way Back Wednesday returns! with a new theme. Once a week (on Wednesday!) we will be posting a brief item which relates to both Surname Studies and the letter of the week, going through the alphabet.  Posts can be about surnames in your study, snippets/trivia which relate to Surname Studies generally; they can (preferably) have a picture attached, and need only be a few sentences long (longer if you want!).  And if you want to claim a particular letter, do let me know. Please send your posts and/or letter-claims to me at sos[at]surname-society.org.

Our new theme will start on the first Wednesday of July 2016.  I will fill in the rest of June, so you can see the sort of thing we are looking for.


When do you use 'baptism', and when do you use 'christening'?  You think you have it sorted out, then two different clerks write both words in the same parish register...

Strictly speaking: 'baptism' is the act of splashing water on/dipping under/totally immersing to receive a remission of sins.

'Christening' is the ceremony that includes the baptism of the baby, child or adult, together with giving it a name.

And there you have it! Now, if only somebody had told that clerk back in the sixteenth century...

 

Next week's letter: C


© Ros Haywood
School of Surnames

letter B courtesy of openclipart.org

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