Farnborough Kent Baptismal Register 1908-1918

The clasped Register of Baptisms for 1908-1918 held at Bromley Historic Collections reference,P/144/1/11 is an interesting insight into the over 600 inhabitants of the parish and the additional population of Bromley Union Workhouse with resident staff of around 700 people.
Baptisms at Bromley Union Chapel which are in a Parish provided register from 1908 are for Farnborough Hospital reflecting the growing role of the Infirmary under control of the Board of Guardians. The Maternity ward of the Infirmary dealt with births from family doctor referred women and twins are often included in this group along with the poignant infant mortality deaths.
The Chaplain throughout this period was Reverend Ebenezer Joseph Welch and rarely are Baptisms at the Workhouse Chapel performed by other clergy. Unlike earlier Parish Baptismal Registers Ebenezer Welch copied all Workhouse Chapel Baptisms into the Parish register.
The Parish in this period was growing in population and the Register reflects the growth  in the number of Railway Workers living in the village.
There are 799 Baptisms recorded in this volume with only one crossed out and entered on the line below. Unfortunately the entries are not always legible or accurately spelled surnames and some date entries in Ebenezer's spidery hand are debatable. I have transcribed all of the entries and spent additional research time in other sources to identify correct surnames and parents names as the original entry is scrawled and unreadable.
The transcript will be prepared for publication online at Kent Online Parish Clerks in due course and will be the final Baptismal Register for Farnborough in the series.

© Henry Mantell Farnborough Online Parish Clerk 2013-2019