Family of Thomas Pattinson m.Mary 1815

[c-side]

Yes, 'Shotley Brisly' indeed

Freereg has it transcribed correctly as well as Nattress.

I'm confused - are you saying that Wilkinson wasn't baptised in Newcastle at all?  If so why have they got his details in their register?

Shotley St. John's did open in 1836 - have you seen a record for him in this church?

I think the best thing is for me to look at the originals of both church records tomorrow.

Christine

[Andrew Tarr]

I'm saying that the register gives the place of baptism as Shotley Bridge; abode as Hole Row, Mosswood (Shotley parish).  Most of the entries in the register - if one scans a few pages - belong in Newcastle, but the transcriber seems to have carried that forward from somewhere.  I believe this register is a compilation similar to Bishop's Transcripts, from several Primitive Methodist chapels.  For one thing the entries are not in date order, sometimes jumping a few months forward or back.  Luckily one of the public trees on Ancestry includes a link to it which allows me to read it.
It would be great if you were to check up on things though ....     Andrew

[c-side]

I know that all the Weslyan Methodist records for Shotley and the surrounding area are all amalgamated in the Hexham Union records but I didn't think Silver Street was like that.

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Christine

[Andrew Tarr]

Thanks for looking Christine. I think the difficulty stems from interpreting the third column on the register: "In what parish, and date born" which could mean either.  But if it follows on from columns 1 & 2 "Date of Baptism - Name of child", logically I would accept that it means site of baptism, not of birth.  In favour of this, Wilkinson will have been born at home (Hole Row) which is in Shotley (Northumberland) while Shotley Bridge is in Durham (as stated); also if all the entered baptisms were in Newcastle I don't see why the register is not in chronological order.  Furthermore, this was a miner's family and I very much doubt they ever set foot in the big city, and probably had no means of getting there in 1836, especially with a 2-month-old infant. It's a long haul from Shotley Bridge.  On the other hand, I can't find a record of a Prim.Meth. chapel in Shotley Bridge.
It looks as if we may never know what happened to Wilkinson ....

[c-side]

I can see what you mean about the Silver Street register!  However in the pre-formatted register there is a column which reads “In what parish and on what day born” so the information provided in that column does not indicate where a child was baptised.

I do think you could be right though.  In 1837 the register was sent to ‘The Commissioners for enquiring into the State, Custody and Authenticity of Non-parochial Registers’.  In the accompanying questionnaire it is stated that there were two ministers of Silver Street but there are many more names in the column showing the person who did the baptism.  I’m thinking that these extra names could be itinerant or travelling ministers, attached to Silver Street, who went about the countryside baptising children as they went.  This would account for the haphazard dating in the register - records only being entered when details were provided, often some time after the event.  I’m not certain of this but it would make sense.  It would also mean that Wilkinson could have been baptised somewhere near his home.

I looked at the other Methodist records relating to the Hexham Circuit and found a baptism for Mary Ann

Hexham Bethania Primitive Methodist, Bull Bank.  Born Muggleswick 31st October 1833, baptised 9th November 1833, parents Thomas and Mary.  I didn’t spot any of the others though.

Finally I went looking in Shotley burials to see whether Wilkinson was there.  He wasn’t but I did find – Jacob Pattinson of Hole Row, buried 2nd October 1836 aged 5 years.  No further details are provided on standard burial records but I think he has a good chance of being connected.  Also, in the margin next to his name was ‘N’.  It appeared against a few names and I suspect that it stands for non-conformist.

Christine

[Andrew Tarr]

Many thanks Christine.  Regarding your first comment, I suggest there is a telling comma printed after the word "Parish" which might dissociate it a bit from the "day born" ?

I am 99% sure your Mary Ann and Jacob belong here - although there were several Pattinsons (my mother-in-law insisted on the N in the middle) in Alston, I think this was the only strain which moved to Shotley or Muggleswick, presumably to join the local lead-rush before it really got going.  I knew of Mary Ann, but had her down in 1835 for some reason, though I suppose she may have received a booster dose in the same way as Jane Archer.  The sequence now looks much neater when Jacob arrives in 1831.  When FreeREG extends Alston baptisms past 1829 it will be interesting to see if he was born before the family moved east.  Where is Bull Bank - is it part of Hexham, or another 'itinerant' - Hexham is no nearer Hole Row than N'cle .... and I don't think these people travelled far unless they had to.

Andrew

[2zpool]

Loads of Pattinson and variations baptised in Shotley Bridge Primitive Methodist including a Wilkinson and a Jacob baptised in 1863 on the same day s/o Thomas and Elizabeth.  Then later a Wilkinson and Alice had a child Betsey baptised in 1896.  My records go from 1844-1943.

A Methodist minister might have as many as 5 or 6 churches he visited routinely and the baptisms were recorded in one book.  Some separated between each place and others were just in order.  I suspect many of these were transcribed in the book from bits of paper he recorded them on. 

Janis

[Andrew Tarr]

<< Loads of Pattinson and variations >>
The Alston clan seems to have stuck to Pattinson, which continued when this family moved east.  However Patterson seems to have been more common in Co.Durham, with Pattison as a halfway house.  To find this lot between 1841 and 1871 takes a bit of care, and also a bit of deviousness when a transcriber has read it as Bettinson ....

[JenB]

Bull Bank Methodist chapel was on Hallstile Bank in Hexham.  The original building is still there, now a house.