Feuding in the burial registers

[thisbluespirit]

So, I have been doing some little bits of family history in between Summer, mostly trying to find the baptisms of some of the women on one particular branch, where I've found the marriages so I have the names, but haven't been able to pin them down. I thought, with all of Ancestry's Somerset registers, all the transcriptions for that area and so on I've got, I should finally be able to make some headway with one or two of them, but all I have done so far is not find them more thoroughly. Which is progress of a sort, but it never feels much like it.

Anyway, in the midst of the Bridgwater burial register for the 1720s, which was one of those ones where the vicar has not deigned to do anything more than list names and dates, I came across this entry:

1725 Oct 30 Edw: Raymond a bitter Persecutor of the Vicar and a proud Attorney.

To which someone else has later added in a different, and much smaller hand beside it: But not half as proud, spiteful and ignorant as the then pretended Vicar Laurence Payne was.

Comments

[theseatheseatheopensea]

This is fascinating (and funny!) Family history research is so awesome. I am a beginner at it, because i don't spend a lot of time on it, plus i don't have access to a lot of resources, but it's something i really enjoy. I once found a possible ancestor that was a glass blower!

[thisbluespirit]

It is endlessly fascinating, isn't it? I'm very lucky because I have a kind friend who lets me freeload on her Ancestry account! But, yes.

(I don't know if it's any use to you, depending on where you are and who you're looking for and things, but a lot of public libraries in quite a few countries have free access to Ancestry World available on their public PCs and sometimes at home via library membership no.)

[theseatheseatheopensea]

That's a good tip! I don't know about any libraries that offer this service, but i do know that there's one of those local familysearch research centres not too far from where I live, so it's worth checking out. Thank you and good luck with your own search!

[philomytha]

Now I’m picturing a whole novel from those two lines. They sound like secondary characters in an Austen novel :-)

[thisbluespirit]

The mystery is, of course, who the later commentator was, because he certainly wasn't Mr. Raymond! (Well, unless we turn this into a ghost story.)

And, yep. Fandom would probably lowkey ship the foeyay. :-D

[persiflage_1]

I believe that's what they call A Burn! 😍🔥

[thisbluespirit]

But they didn't have cremation back then! ;-p

[persiflage_1]

*snorts* That vicar was!

[oracne]

ROFL!

[thisbluespirit]

:-D

[osprey_archer]

To which someone else has later added in a different, and much smaller hand beside it: But not half as proud, spiteful and ignorant as the then pretended Vicar Laurence Payne was.

This is delightful. I'd love to know who snuck in later to add that note.

[thisbluespirit]

I really don't know. Most likely the Parish Clerk or someone who had access, I suppose, but it was hard to tell. It could have been the next incumbent, but didn't look like quite the same writing - but it was v small.

[singe]

It was a church mouse. Don't cross them! They see everything.

[thisbluespirit]

LOl, that must be it!

[umadoshi]

To which someone else has later added in a different, and much smaller hand beside it: But not half as proud, spiteful and ignorant as the then pretended Vicar Laurence Payne was.

Ouch! ^_-

[thisbluespirit]

Yep! It certainly livened up the burial list for that year.

[sovay]

But not half as proud, spiteful and ignorant as the then pretended Vicar Laurence Payne was.

Historical shade for the win! (Do you have any idea whose hand it was?)

[thisbluespirit]

(Do you have any idea whose hand it was?)

No. It didn't really look quite the same as the next incumbent, though it was too small to be sure. Either the Parish Clerk or a warden or someone who had access, I suppose.

[corvidology]

These are the sort of moments when historical records come to life as real people.

[thisbluespirit]

This is what we live for. :-D

[potentiality_26]

Heh, what a great find! I love the little things in historical research.

[thisbluespirit]

Yes, quite. :-D

[lokifan]

LMAO, amazing!! Very Trollope.

[thisbluespirit]

A century earlier, so with more open fighting, I should think! BUt, yes, lol.

[liadt]

Hoo ho! Brightening up a slow search.

[thisbluespirit]

Indeed! :-D

[paranoidangel]

That is hilarious. Definitely worth the effort of looking for your baptisms.

[thisbluespirit]

It was!