Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00839)

Gregory,

Thanks for the recap of some of the
basic issues.

Unfortunately I don't think Pedro
will respond to the birthdate controversy.

I wonder why?

Daniel

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, gregory <gregory@z...> wrote:
> Pedro asks:
> 
> "Incidentally, did Leadbeater have a copy of his birth certificate? 
If he 
> had, why Jinarajadasa did not mention it in his biographical notes 
about 
> CWL?"?
> 
> If the implication is that Leadbeater may not have known of his own 
> birthdate, it is absurd! It may be that a person is misled as to 
the day 
> or month of birth or even deceived as to the year where is is 
within a 
> year of the actual birth. This may happen when the child is 
conceived or 
> born out of wedlock and the parents wish to conceal this fact. But 
> Leadbeater was SEVEN years younger than he claimed! Presumably, 
when 
> seven years old he could not have been persuaded that he was only a 
> newborn, or when fourteen that he was actually seven.
> 
> Leadbeater gave his correct age in the census return (to which I 
have 
> referred in an earlier posting) when he was resident with his 
mother (and 
> presumably could not lie even if he wished to) and when he applied 
as a 
> candidate for the ministry of the Church of England (when supported 
by 
> his uncle, William Capes, who presumably knew his age). The change 
of 
> birthdate occurs only after his joins the TS: it seems to appear 
first in 
> the official record in the census return completed when Leadbeater 
was 
> living with Sinnett.
> 
> Leadbeater would not have needed a birth certificate for any 
official 
> reason. As diffiocult as it is for those of us who live in 
the "multiple 
> forms of official identification" era to appreciate, Leadbeater's 
career 
> took off in an age when a gentleman's word was sufficient!
> 
> There was no copy of his birth certificate in any files I saw in 
the 
> archives at Adyar. The family tree drawn by Jinarajadasa was noted 
as 
> based on information given by Leadbeater. The family tree is 
accurate (as 
> genealogical research has established), but it does not include any 
> dates. This is yet more (if such was needed) evidence that the 
Charles 
> Webster Leadbeater of Jinarajadasa's chart is the same Charles 
Webster 
> Leadbeater who was born in 1854. Various biographical statements 
were 
> published during Leadbeater's TS career; they are consistent as to 
> (false) birthdate.
> 
> Dr Gregory Tillett