Parish Registers

Hi Clare, The word exlex is a Latin word meaning an outlaw or one who is out the the laws protection. Could this mean a child who was born out of wedlock?  I hope this is of some help to you.                                                                         

Bob

Hello Bob.  Yes, you are probably right. In the Kilkenny West register - the one that I am studying the most - the priest does not seem to hesitate to use the word illegitimate or even bastard, so I wondered why he would need another term as well.  

Another observation that I should have put in my first query.  I notice that every child born outside wedlock has the name of the father recorded.  Was that required before the child could be baptised?  And, assuming that the mother was the one raising the child, does it therefore follow that the child's sponsor was from the mother's family?

Thanks for your help

Clare