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Genealogy

Handwriting one!

33 replies

AInightingale · 02/11/2026 21:18

Hopefully this image will post. I can't read the column heading after 'Rel', can anyone make out the words above 'June 29'?
The columns read l-r: Name, Adm(ission), Conf(inement) Age, ????, Reputed Father and Child's Name. It is part of the record of a birth in a M&B home in N Ireland, 1935, I have scored through the names.

Handwriting one!
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Bikergran · 04/11/2026 19:26

Rel, for religion? Shows CE, Church of England?

B0D · 04/11/2026 20:51

Does it say “laid in” that was an old term for confinement ( another old term! ) I think

MabelAnderson · 04/11/2026 20:56

Lived in dist (district).
Below that it says adopted by -

AInightingale · 04/11/2026 21:35

No definitely not 'laid in', the baby would have been almost 3 months old by then.

The Rel is most definitely 'Religion' (which was massively important in Ireland then). The 'CI' stands for the Church of Ireland, I've seen this on older copies of this register.

They demanded to know the name of 'reputed father' as these children were funded by the parish/poor law, and there were attempts to get the fathers to pay maintenance, or pay towards the fostering allowance that the women 'boarding out' the babies got paid. In the case of an adoption, money was also paid by the baby's family/birth parents to the adoptive parents, I suppose so they could buy what they needed - pram, crib, clothes etc. Looking at the registers, it seems that about £30 was standard, which would be worth about £2K today, I think.

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eastegg · 05/11/2026 00:21

Bear with me here because this is a bit different from other suggestions but could it refer to the previous Jun 29 and be Last M Disc meaning last menstrual discharge? I think the pp is right about the M.

AInightingale · 05/11/2026 06:57

eastegg · 05/11/2026 00:21

Bear with me here because this is a bit different from other suggestions but could it refer to the previous Jun 29 and be Last M Disc meaning last menstrual discharge? I think the pp is right about the M.

That had occurred to me! So she gave up the baby on 13 May, he then went to a foster mother/wet nurse (I'm not sure what the feeding plans would have been) and within the next 5-6 weeks her cycle would have returned to normal? I don't really see that such intimate details would have been entered on a register though, although they did write down weird things.

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eastegg · 05/11/2026 07:32

AInightingale · 05/11/2026 06:57

That had occurred to me! So she gave up the baby on 13 May, he then went to a foster mother/wet nurse (I'm not sure what the feeding plans would have been) and within the next 5-6 weeks her cycle would have returned to normal? I don't really see that such intimate details would have been entered on a register though, although they did write down weird things.

I was thinking more that it might be included when admitted, to date the pregnancy (the date of the last period, from 9 months before).

AInightingale · 05/11/2026 07:53

eastegg · 05/11/2026 07:32

I was thinking more that it might be included when admitted, to date the pregnancy (the date of the last period, from 9 months before).

Ah so June 29 previous year? That would make sense too.

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