ABSTRACT
On Sunday, 6 October 1555, Denis Potier, lawyer and soon-to-be member of the Genevan bourgeoisie, presented Benjamin, his step-grandson, to be baptised at the cathedral of St-Pierre. The baptism took place at the first morning sermon, in front of the congregation, according to Reformed practice. When the minister, Michel Cop, asked the name of the child’s father, Potier stated the name of his stepdaughter’s husband, André Dymonnet. In so doing, he proclaimed publicly that his grandchild had been born within the legal and religious bonds of marriage and was now welcomed into the Reformed community. Dymonnet was not, however, the child’s father, and Potier soon found himself called in front of the Council, accused of intentionally falsifying church records and aiding in the concealment of an illegitimate birth.1
