Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

My grandmother was born in 1879 and her younger brother in 1880 in Farnworth and christened at St Lukes/Wilfreds. The parish registers note that their mother is single and adds the abbreviation PB in brackets after the entry.

Does anyone know what this means? I guess P stands for Pater/father but B? Beneficus = benefactor. Or father unknown?

Any help appreciated.

EGAN
4873

I think that stands for Private Baptism,

Thank you Kathy for the response. Is Private Baptism an accepted term in parish records? Perhaps the birth of two illegitimate children is a good reason for a private baptism, but is this sanctioned by the church and thus included in the church records? I thought that perhaps PB referred to the Parish's responsibility to look after the family, if there was no known father.
Cheers
Eric

Usually PB does stand for Private Baptism. More often than not the babies were baptised soon after birth because they might not be expected to survive. They were usually baptised at home and the Baptism entered into the records later.

Somebody may correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that if a child was baptised, perhaps at birth because of the possibility that the baby might not survive, as Linda says, then another baptism in church later would not take place, however, a ceremony may well take place to welcome the child into the church.

Yes Mary As far as I know they could later be Received into the Church. I have come across quite a few records like that in the transcribing I do. The minister having written something like Baptised (date) & received (date) in the margin. Sometimes its many months later

Here is one example of a child having a P. B. and being received at a later date - taken from LAN OPC

Baptism: 11 Feb 1879 St Martin in the Field, Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Margaret McCann - Child of John McCann & Frances
Born: 8 Feb 1879
Abode: St Leonards Terrace, Ashfield St
Occupation: Porter
Notes: P B, Rec 26 Mar 1879 Baptised by: T Oliver, Incumbent
Register: Baptisms 1876 - 1901, Page 336, Entry 316
Source: LDS Film 1656205