St Kitts & Nevis Baptisms 1716-1881

This record set includes baptisms from some of the parishes in St Kitts & Nevis for the 18th and 19th centuries. Record detail varies according to parish and date but generally give the following:

• First name(s)

• Last name

• Baptism date and sometimes birth date

• Name(s) of parent(s)

• Residence

• Sometimes other information such as occupation, status and so on.

The record set is not complete and comprehensive. There is coverage for the following Anglican parishes at present:

Nevis:

St George Gingerland, 236 records, 1716-1821

St James Windward, 1641 records, 1740-1877

St John Figtree, 505 records, 1729-1860

St Paul Charlestown, 2541 records, 1812-1881

St Thomas Lowland, 1895 records, 1734-1873

St Kitts:

Christ Church Nichola Town, 72 records, 1721-1734

St Anne Sandy Point, 39 records, 1725-1750

St George Basseterre, 238 records, 1733-1816

St John Capesterre, 14 records, 1721-1729

St Mary Cayon, 144 records, 1721-1745

St Paul Capesterre, 0 records

St Peter Basseterre, 3 records, 1734-1815

St Thomas Middle Island, 1004 records, 1729-1814

Trinity Palmetto Point, 385 records, 1732-1831

There are also 13 records from 1736-1758 from one or other of St George & St Peter Basseterre.

The spellings used are as per the original records. You should note that spelling was not fixed and many forenames and surname appear in several different versions for the same families and the same individuals. Some examples of locally common surnames with variation in this period include: Artherton, Arthurton, Atherton, Athurton; Bowrin, Bowrine, Bowring; Nesbett, Nesbit, Nisbet, Nisbett, Nisbit, Nisbitt; Paris, Pariss, Parris; and Scarboro, Scarborough, Scarbro, Scarbrough. You should always consider possible variants when undertaking your searches. One way to do this is wildcards, e.g. Athrton will return search results for all four variant spellings mentioned above.

Not all the individuals recorded in the registers have a surname. Those who do not will almost invariably be Black or mixed race. Over time, surnames were assumed or assigned; in many cases, the name of an estate (plantation) or the surname of its owner might become attached to an individual or family and later taken as the surname. For this reason, you should pay attention to the name of a slave-owner where given or the name of an estate when it appears in a transcription.

Notable individuals with Kittitian roots include singer Joan Armatrading, novelist Caryl Phillips and footballer Marcus Rashford, while those with a Nevis background include Frances Herbert Nelson née Woolward (wife of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson).