The meaning of terms
Parish registers and other genealogical records often show words and phrases which are alien to us today.
When looking at the parish registers at Felsted in Essex, one of our searchers came across the baptism, on December 8th 1726, of one John Felsted, an “exposed child”.
The term “exposed child” refers to one who is of unknown parentage, and who presumably had been abandoned by their parents. In this case, the parish clearly took care for the child, baptising him in the local church with the surname of the parish in which he was found.
