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Witnesses to Scottish Baptisms

Valzie

Valzie

LostCousins Member
The pre-1855 records from many (but not all) Scottish parishes give the names of witnesses to each baptism. The majority, I notice, are men; though in some parishes (e.g., Fetteresso, Kincardine) they were sometimes women, especially when the child was a girl. Then in one case, I noticed that "the whole congregation" was cited as witness (SuzanneD reminded me of this). Occasionally, the witnesses are, or appear to be, family members.
Does anyone know the role and significance of these witnesses?
 
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