Slightly off-topic, but sometimes those enumerators told it as it was:

Name: Mary Mason Her Bastard
Age: 1 Mo
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1851
Relation: Pauper
Gender: Female
Where born: Chalford, Gloucestershire, England

Civil Parish: Stroud
Town: Stroud

Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1965; Folio: 297; Page: 7; GSU roll: 87365.

So clearly NOT part of my Mason family........(Mary Ann Mason, 1847)

Something cheerful from a very wet, miserable Cumbria
Bob Jenkins

Yes indeed as in some of the baptismal records.

The one I liked was the lady who had three illegitimate sons, followed by two sets of twins. Against each entry the vicar had written the standard 'Base born' until he got to the last set of twins. He had obviously run out of patience by then and the entry read "illegitimate. Living in fornication with Thomas Hall"! I wonder if they ever did get married?

Hi Bob

A long time since we have been in touch. Whilst the illegitimate child in 1851 could not be connected to "your" Mary Ann Mason, I have a Mary Ann Mason born Ruardean 1847 daughter of Thomas Mason & Tabitha Wilce. This Mary Ann Mason married Andrew Marfell 11.10.1876. Her sister Elizabeth married Benjamin Marfell 11.4.1858 and I have posted their picture on this web site, they look very prim and proper but their first child was born a month after they were married, which explains why they walked quite a way to marry away from home !!

Is the above connected to your Masons ?

Jim Ashton