LIST 5 - BAPTISMS - ST DAVIDS HOBART

 
 
There were 663 baptisms recorded at St Davids during this decade, 
meaning on average there was a little over one baptism each week. Of 
this number 21 baptisms refer to children born prior to 1811. 
 
The information recorded and presented for each child is exactly as 
described for St Phillips in List 3.
 
The list is presented in chronological order by date of baptism then 
alphabetically by father's surname. 
 
With regard to the fathers, identities of 82% have been found. The 
names of 78 fathers were not recorded and the arrival details of a 
further 52 remain unknown.
 
With regard to the mothers, identities of 83% have been found. The 
names of 13 mothers were not recorded and the arrival details of a 
further 111 remain unknown.
 
There were nine duplicate entries on the register during the period 
under study reducing the total of individual baptisms to 654. All 
duplications were performed at St Davids. Frederick Hull was baptized 
three times, twice at St Davids and once at St Johns Launceston.
 
Most children were baptized soon after birth but there were fifty five 
who were later baptisms, the last being for Thomas Taylor in 1850 at 
the age of thirty nine. The only problem is to determine if their 
birth took place in the colony or not.
 
Where the father's surname has a second name separated by a slash '/', 
the surname after the slash is how the name was spelt in the original 
document or if second name is substantially different it refers to 
an alias. Where the mother's surname has a second name separated by 
a slash, the surname after the slash is her married name at the time 
of the recording being made if she was married more than once. 
 
The reference number would direct the reader to the relevant entry 
in the original source document.
 
The register did not record the date of birth until 1814 so it has 
been assumed, not unreasonably in most cases, that the year of baptism 
roughly corresponds to the year of birth. The several children with 
an exact date of birth recorded before 1814 were derived from other 
sources.
 
Mary Dotman claims to have been born at Isle de France and 
Frederick Hyde in India. Donald McLeod was born at sea on board 
'Skelton'. John Oswell and Edward Williamson were born at 
Parramatta and Jane Thomas and Joseph Wright were born at Sydney 
before moving to Van Diemens Land
 
The list contains twenty baptisms of native children.
 
The reference numbers are often not in strict numerical sequence. 
Numbers 175 to 218 and 346 to 389 and 776 to 786 are actually used 
by St Johns Launcestion (no doubt reflecting Rev Knopwoods visit to 
the northern settlement in 1811 and 1814). For some reason numbers 
738 and 850 are not used.
 
It should be noted that the list contains considerably more 
information than will be found in the original church register, being 
the result of decades of research, principally associated with the 
Pioneer Register Project. Many entries in the church register list 
just the date of baptism and parents names, sometimes only the 
mother's name if the birth was illegitimate.
 
Entries on this list have the reference identifier "SDH" on List 1. 
To locate an entry on this list; firstly an alphabetical search 
on the name would be made on List 1 from which the date of baptism 
would be retrieved, secondly using the appropriate date, the baptism 
would be located on this list and finally an alphabetical search 
on the name would be made on the baptismal date if there should be 
more than one entry for that date. 

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