Christening Peices

[braveheart]

Hi all,

Do you remember receiving a Christening piece? I was lucky, I think I remember receiving Three or Four when I was young. The tradition was, the parents of the baby would place a Silver coin between two biscuits and depending on the sex of the baby the Christening piece was given to the first Boy/Girl they met on the way to the Christening.

Now I'm fairly sure the Silver coin ( Could be a Silver Thruppence, a Sixpence, a Shilling, a Florin or a Half crown if you were really lucky ) was supposed to be kept by the recipient but I have to confess I couldn't wait to spend mine.

Anyone know if this tradition continues now?

Take care,

John

[Granny911]

Hi John
I remember the christening pieces but was never lucky enough to get one. lol I think I recall a silver sixpence in them. I remember the family putting silver thrupenny's and then many years later, silver sixpences into the dumplings and if you got one, you thought you had won the lottery. Couldn't tell you if they still do the christening pieces these days, but was a nice tradition. Cheers, Sheila

[DannyGill]

Hi John +Shelia,
Yes I remember the christening pieces of years ago, in fact years ago when I was a wean about 7 or maybe 8 years old I was walking past Oatlands square [with swings in it] on Gilmour st and this man and woman came up with a babe in their arms and gave me an abernethy buttered biscuit with a silver sixpence in it. My pals all said you have to go to the shop and buy us all sweeties but I went hame to give it to my Ma who in turn told me to keep it, so off to the shop and bought a rake of sweeties much to the delight of all my pals. I think John and Shelia that is another tradition that has died ?.

Regards.
Danny

[amelia]

Hi All a young mother who sits in front of me at chapel was having her baby christened last Sunday I must ask her did they still do this, the baby must be about 6 months old gone are the days when you had to et them christened the weekend after they were born. The cold weather is here now Sheila frost on the grounds when you wake up, streets were pretty bad yesterday up here in Castlemilk and there is snow on the hills.
Amelia

[tweedlie5]

I only ever got one christening piece, was coming down the stairs in cale road one sunday morning when the o'neill family were coming out of their house in the close, the mother turned round and saw me and handed me a poke and they went on their way with baby Danny..I opened the poke and found two tea biscuits, started to eat them when my teeth hit something hard, opened it up and there covered in butter was 2/- did'nt understand it and ran up the stair to my mum and told her who promptly took it off me and gave 3d to go and get sweeties.......I don't know if they still do it, in fact I don't think many folk give silver to a new born anymore

[braveheart]

Hi Tweedlie,

Two bob! that was great. Good thing is your Mum got 1/9d to spend on grub for the family, you could get quite a lot for that in those days and you got the 3d which could buy you quite a few sweeties. Happy days thanks to the O'Neil family.

Take care,

John

[amelia]

Hi All I spoke to that young girl on Sunday in the chapel she said she never had a christening piece didn't know what it was so my friend and I told her all about it so she said that she would ask her mum. Was it just a Gorbals thing that we started or was it all over Scotland
Amelia

[DannyGill]

I only ever got one christening piece, was coming down the stairs in cale road one sunday morning when the o'neill family were coming out of their house in the close, the mother turned round and saw me and handed me a poke and they went on their way with baby Danny..I opened the poke and found two tea biscuits, started to eat them when my teeth hit something hard, opened it up and there covered in butter was 2/- did'nt understand it and ran up the stair to my mum and told her who promptly took it off me and gave 3d to go and get sweeties.......I don't know if they still do it, in fact I don't think many folk give silver to a new born anymore

Hi Tweedlie5,
You were lucky mate 2/- that was a lot of money then but fair play to you mate you gave it to your Mother and 'am sure that 3d you got bought you a few sweeties, I think it's a thing of the past now giving out Christening pieces just like a lot of other things sadly to say.
Regards.
Danny

[redscot]

I only ever got one christening piece, was coming down the stairs in cale road one sunday morning when the o'neill family were coming out of their house in the close, the mother turned round and saw me and handed me a poke and they went on their way with baby Danny..I opened the poke and found two tea biscuits, started to eat them when my teeth hit something hard, opened it up and there covered in butter was 2/- did'nt understand it and ran up the stair to my mum and told her who promptly took it off me and gave 3d to go and get sweeties.......I don't know if they still do it, in fact I don't think many folk give silver to a new born anymore

Hi Tweedlie5,
You were lucky mate 2/- that was a lot of money then but fair play to you mate you gave it to your Mother and 'am sure that 3d you got bought you a few sweeties, I think it's a thing of the past now giving out Christening pieces just like a lot of other things sadly to say.
Regards.
Danny

Hello everyone hoping you are all well...
When I had my daughter christened in Whiteinch in 1973 I gave out a christening piece..my mammy said if you have a daughter you give it to the first male child you meet...and vice versa if you have a boy being christened. I think from memory I had a pound in it. That's a shame if that tradition has died because when I relate it to Aussies they reckon that is a beautiful old tradition. It's these traditions that make us who we are as Scots, and if I lived there today I would keep it going....such a shame that...and I wonder how many more traditions have gone by the wayside.

Cheers Rose x