Daily AncestorWhitsun
Whitsun (Whitsunday) is the British name for Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, so its date changes every year.
Whitsun, also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday, is Pentecost: the seventh Sunday after Easter, or Easter plus 49 days. Because Easter moves, Whitsun can fall in May or June.
Records that say "at Whitsuntide" or "Whit Monday" are giving a date that you must work out from Easter in that year. Use a table of Easter dates for the right calendar, since Julian and Gregorian Easter differ.
As seen in a recordBaptism entry in a parish register
Bapt. on Whitsunday 1747
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Whitsun." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/dates-calendar/whitsun. Last checked 2026-10-01.