Farnborough Kent Baptismal Register and Bromley Poor Law Union Births

Bromley Historic Collections hold a series of birth registers reference  1541/1 for Farnborough Hospital, the first volume relates to baptisms 1884-1896 in the Bromley Union Workhouse Chapel.
In theory baptisms at the workhouse were incorporated in the Farnborough Register of Baptisms 1848-1893 an ink blotted volume with space for 1600 baptisms. In transcribing this volume the lack of communication between the Workhouse Chaplain and clergy in Farnborough Parish are evident in frustrated marginal entries. The Chaplain asks the Curate or from 1876 Vicar to reserve space in the register for baptisms which result in blank entries and recorded failure to notify the parish of any baptism. There are also comments about late reporting of baptisms.
Farnborough was required to report entries to the Diocese of Canterbury and this volume includes a series of entries for one year which are loose in the front of the volume and are copies of the register for the year in question. I feel sure that the parish impressed on the Workhouse Chaplain the urgent need to return information before the December return was required by the Diocese but the problem persists throughout the years 1848-1893! Within the Workhouse the Chaplain clearly experiences problems with women who indicate they wish to have a child baptised but then leave before the Chapain can perform the baptism as some enties indicate withdrawal of the need to the parish.
This register is both a record of growth of settlement in the parish with the expansion of building new roads and also a vital record of birth of illegitimate children in the Workhouse Infirmary. Searches of the Census enable searchers to locate both child and mother and such comparison shows that many single women were in domestic service and returned to domestic service after the birth whilst the child is cared for by relatives.
The image of the front cover with heavy ink blots reflects the ink blotting and smudging in the register ( the rear exterior cover is also blotted) and entires in the register are made in black mauve blue and red ink. Some entries also contain marginal queries about the accuracy of parental names recorded.
The Parish register has two entries with Christian names for children with no surname or knowledge of the parents; presumably these children were found abandoned. It is unusual for no surname to given to abandoned infants and since the Bromley Union Creed register is indexed by surname  it is not possible to locate the Union surname record. It was usual practice to give a surname reflecting either the place or person of discovery.
The transcript of this register will be published by Kent Online Parish Clerks in due course.

© Henry Mantell Farnborough Online Parish Clerk 2018-2019