Castle Hedingham: Little Glimpses

Following on from my other posts about Castle Hedingham, these are just some of the little glimpses into its inhabitants’ lives as revealed by entries in the parish register.

St James Street (from www.geograph.org.uk/photo/176097)

© Copyright Robert Edwards and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

No mother involved?

Margaret JIGGENS reputed daughter of Richard LOUEDAY was baptized the 26th of No. 1565. Eliz. Octauo.

Triplets!

Martha, Mary and Joshua children of Joshua TOWERS: “all 3 Borne of one woman [whose name isn’t recorded, ahem!] July 5th" and baptised 6 July 1686

Unfortunately, multiple births were not always a cause for celebration: Joshua was buried on 4 August 1686, Martha was buried on 6 March 1686/7 and Mary was buried on 11 May 1687, so not one lived to see a first birthday.  Mary, formerly Mary SQUIRE, the second wife of Joshua TOWERS and mother of the triplets, survived the birth and lived a further 10 years, and had four more children, all single births.

Oops

"Willium the base Sonne of Rose the wife of John LASEL the yonger was baptizd the 17th of June. 1609. Secundo anno regis Jacobi."

"Edward ye base of Willia TONGUEs wife: June 2d." [1635]

T’other

"Thomas GREENE a twine of Willm GREENE was baptized the 15 Juli 1610.  Joseph GREENE the tother [sic] twinne of Willm GREEN was baptizd 15 Juli 1610."  

Sadly, “Thomas GREENE Willim GREENEs twinne was buried the 8th of Sept 1610 Jac.8o”

Civil War Years and the Protectorate

"Clopton BEADLE a Seaperate sone was baptiz by Soldgiers ye 26th of October 1643."

"Anne OLIVE a seperate Dauter was Baptiz By Soldgiers ye 26th of Octob. 1643."

"Thomassin the base Daughter of Ann LUDBROOKE & of the reputed father Ed. SMITH was baptiz by the soldgiers ye 27th of november 1643.  Edward SMITH."

"Martha Willyamsonne the daughter of John Willyamsonne a sepperals [sic] Childe was baptiz the 8th of Aprill 1649."

All marriages during 1654-5 were conducted “by ye Right Worshipfull Arthur BARNARDISTON Esq Justice of Peace”.  In 1655/6 one was conduced “by the Right Worshipfull Christopher EARLS Esq”

A little bit more detail than usual

“Thomas UNWIN Son of Thomas UNWIN Citizen & grocer of London & Martha his Wife whose late father was clothier & inhabitant of Hedingham Castle was born November 2 & baptized November 8 by me Richard COURTMAN Curate of Castle Hedingham in the year 1702”

Alias names

The following families had alias surnames. Over the generations, some descendants moved to one of the two names and others went for the second.  In most cases the reverse of names is also true, i.e., there are plenty of Butler alias Denum as well as Denum alias Butler.

·         Arnoll alias Warner

·         Barker alias Smith

·         Bilio alias Bust

·         Butcher alias Adams

·         Denum alias Butler (by the 1700s they mostly were using Denum or Denham)

·         Francis alias Puckle

·         Harvey alias Coe

·         Harvey alias Parker

·         Horne alias Harvey

·         Onwyn alias Onion (this family eventually settled on the name Unwin)

·         Prestwood alias Walker

·         Ridsdale alias Loker

·         Richardson alias Sherman

·         Rush alias Clark

·         Smith alias Barker or Baxter

·         Sparke alias Smith

·         Spalding otherwise Daines

·         Whithand alias Pratt

·         Wix / Wicks alias Matthew

·         Wood alias Smith

·         Wood alias South

Marginalia

John JEGON’s burial on 16 March 1602/3 was the last burial during the reign of Elizabeth I. Following it is this note: "Finis regni reginae Elizabethae clarissimae quae obitt vicessimo quarto die martii Ano Doi 1602 Thrsqgxptlkmbcdxw [sic]"

29 June 1883, burial of William Horper BROMLEY, aged 4, recorded as the first burial in the new burial ground.  For a number of years after this record, the burial register specifically notes who was buried in the new burial ground and then, from 1885, instead makes specific notes of only those who were buried in the churchyard.

16 February 1891 was the burial of Ann Smith, aged 72, of The Castle Lodge. It has been noted beneath her age that, “acc to Baptismal R[egister] 77 – see r[egistration] A Smith”.  

There was in fact an Ann Smith, daughter of John & Sarah, born on 10 January and baptised 6 February 1814.  The 1881 census (since she died before the 1891) shows an Ann Smith, then aged 63 and unmarried, living at The Castle Lodge Gate and employed as an upholsteress.  The same person or two different individuals?  Would the clerk have known for certain or was he making an assumption?

Hard times

"Edward PHILLIPS foundlinge was buried the 27th of feb.1582.E.25."

Baptism 25 July 1756 John son of Elizabeth HAVES “baseborn Child sent to ye Foundling Hospital Aug 18th"

Baptism 21 March 1759 John son of Joseph & Mary AMY “Sent to ye Foundling Hos. March 23d 1759”

Baptism on 21 September 1872 of Ellen, daughter of Charlotte WICKS of Pond Street “A Married Woman living apart from her husband”.  The baby was born on 16 July 1872.

What date was that?

Ales WESTERBYE was buried the last of feb 1571. E.14. [14 year of the reign of Elizabeth I]

February 1571 was not a leap year, but February 1572 was. Since this is an Old Style date, it would have been considered 1571, so not a Leap Year, although it is 1572 in the New Style (Gregorian calendar) and other Leap Years are recorded in the registers on odd-numbered Old Style years.

There must have been a story behind it:

“Margerit BUTLARE yt vilde wrecthe was buryed ye 27d of febreuarye 1621 Jacobi 19.”

Causes of death

“John MARTIN being kild with A Carte was buired [sic] the 22 of Maiye 1622 Jacoby 20”

“Thomas MAYE being kilde in A sawe pit was buryed the 27th of Novemb 1639”

“Charles ASLER died sudenlye & was buryed the 13th of September 1643.”

“Willyam SAVILL sonne of John SAVILL was Drownde [sic] & buryed on St Jeames Daye June ye 25th 1650”

“Edward EBBIT of Wixe died in wandering the fields and was buried November 1th 1672”

“John MONKE a soldier kild with afall [sic] at the Tower was Buried January 10th.”

“April 23d Hannah SMITH laid violent Hands on herself Affid. 27th"

The reason for this likely lies a few lines earlier with the burial on 24 November 1755 of Hannah, daughter of Joseph & Hannah SMITH.  Joseph SMITH, the last survivor of this family, was buried on Christmas Day, 1757.

Florence

Legend has it that this name wasn't popularised until Florence Nightingale, but Florence WELLS was buried at Castle Hedingham on 5 September 1581, nearly 300 years earlier!

Best forenames

Zorobabell OLIFE (m) and Kerenhappuch DALE (f)

Long Livers:

Robert HEMSTEAD, whose 28 April 1796 burial notes “born July the sixth 1704”

Once the age of the deceased was recorded regularly, there were in fact quite a lot of people living into their late 80s and 90s, but Robert was the only one where his birth date was cited.

John MYALL of Nunnery Street, buried 8 February 1859, aged 101

I have been unable to find a baptismal record to confirm this, although it's entirely possible that he was not baptised at Castle Hedingham.  There were a number of baptisms from the MYALL family (then recorded as MIHILL) in the 1750s, but none for a John.

Maude Ellen SMITH of Milford, Church Ponds, buried 2 March 1993, aged 101