Monmouthshire Baptisms

Each record comprises a transcript and black and white image of the original register. The amount of information listed varies, but the records usually include a combination of the following information about your ancestor:

Transcript

• First name(s)
• Last name
• Birth year
• Birth date
• Baptism year
• Baptism date
• Father’s first name(s)
• Mother’s first name(s)
• Place
• County
• Country

Image

The image may contain additional details, including

• Father’s occupation
• Residence
• Officiating minister
• If illegitimate

The record set comprises almost 329,140 records from 154 parishes in Monmouthshire. These records span over four centuries.

Monmouthshire

Monmouthshire is one of 13 historic Welsh counties and a former administrative county. The historic county of Monmouthshire corresponds approximately to the present principal areas of Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Newport, and Torfaen, as well as those parts of Caerphilly and Cardiff east of the Rhymney River. It borders Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Brecknockshire, and Glamorgan. The administrative county of Monmouthshire was abolished two years after the Local Government Act 1972, and most of the area became part of the new local government and ceremonial county of Gwent. The current unitary authority was formed in 1996 as a successor to the district of Monmouth, in addition to the Llanelly community from Blaenau Gwent, both of which were Gwent districts. The unitary authority of Monmouthshire covers around 60 percent of the historic county but only 20 percent of the population.

Children Born Outside Marriage

In England, the 1235 Statute of Merton states that, "He is a bastard that is born before the marriage of his parents." The use of the word "bastard" continued through the 16th century, with the Poor Law of 1576 forming the basis of English bastardy law. It aimed to punish the child’s unmarried mother and putative father and to relieve the parish from the cost of supporting the mother and child. The language changed in the 20th century, with the introduction of the Legitimacy Act 1926, which legitimized the birth of a child in England and Wales if the parents later married each other. The act refers to the child of unmarried parents as "the illegitimate person."

There are a number of "illegitimate" babies in these records who were the "reputed" offspring of their named fathers.

Baptism Records

Baptism records state the date and place an individual was baptized into a church, and are an essential part of researching your family history. In most records, the parents of the individual being baptized are included, and these are often the key to finding out the names of the previous generation. Children were generally baptized within a few weeks of birth.

• Begin your search broadly with just a name and year.

• If needed, you can narrow your results by adding additional search criteria such as a place or parent’s name.

• Be sure to check the image provided with each transcript. You may find additional details from the image.