Could somone please tell me the meaning or purpose of the text that I have circled in the attached jpg file. This document is the baptism record of my great grand mother Sarah Moran. The same text appears in several places in the same document. Many thanks.
The letters are "SP" short for "Sponsor." It means Bridget Needham was a sponsor at Sarah's baptism. Usually, but not always, two, or sometimes more than two, sponsors were listed for a Baptism. In those cases the abbreviation was typically "SPS." The sponsor was typically a member of the family or a close friend of the family...
Thank you Philip. So the sponsers were basically a witness to the baptism then? Did they have any other responsibilities apart from being a witness?
A sponsor was someone who would take a special interest in the religous and moral development of a child. Since they were typically family members to begin with, it was often impossible to distiguish their role as a sponsor from that of simply being a caring sibling or relative. From a genealogical point of view, it is important to take note of who the sponsors were at baptisms or the witnesses were to marriages. They often give clues as to the names of siblings and extended family, often suggesting new avenues for research.
Thank you again. You have been very helpful.
Best regards, Ian