The first rite of passage: baptism in medieval memory

This article is part of a wider study that examines over 10,000 jurors' testimonies in proof-of-age hearings from 1246 to 1432, which were conducted to determine the legal majority of heirs-in-chief of the crown. It looks specifically at more than 1,500 references to the ceremony of baptism and tries to build up a picture of what the service was like in the memories of the participants. It reveals the haste and sometimes confusion of the preparations beforehand, the naming of infants, the role of godparents, the use of writing and the giving of gifts to record the birth, the celebrations that accompanied it, and details of the ceremonial itself, including the processions with lit torches and the crowds that often gathered. Despite the stereotypical nature of much testimony, it attempts to capture the atmosphere of what went on and what stuck in the minds of jurors.