Is this just a co-incidence?

[Richard Knott]

As the post below makes clear, Richard Butland married Grace Merdon in 1790 in Ashburton. Their first recorded child was Sarah, baptised in Ashburton in 1793; but I know they also had a son, Richard, born before that (see post below for evidence) in about 1789:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=710644.msg5541019#msg5541019

One of the witnesses to the 1790 marriage was Ann Merdon, so it is possible that Grace Merdon was the one (base)born to Ann Merden in 1771 in Sampford Courtenay. It is thirty miles from Ashburton, but Grace Merdon is a rare name. Interestingly there is also a baptism in 1792 for a Richard Merdon, baseborn son of Grace Mardon. The dates don't fit the 1790 marriage (unless she went back to baptise him in her name after she was married which seems unlikely).

Is all this just a co-incidence of names? if so, where is Richard's baptism?

Richard

[athel_cb]

Are you sure it's Merdon, not Smerdon, which is a reasonably common name in Ashburton?

[Richard Knott]

Thanks for replying.
Yes, the marriage entry and banns entry have Merdon.

Richard

[DOB7]

Although the banns etc read Merdon/Mardon do not discount SMERDON - her name was Grace - she would have said her name to the cleric recording the event - he would have heard GRACEMERDON - and guessed at the spelling.
My SQUANCE ancestors were originally QUANCEs until Thomas QUANCE married and had children - some were recorded as QUANCE, some as SQUANCE because the cleric would have heard ThomasQuance and had to guess where the 's' sound ended and began.

[Richard Knott]

Thanks for the suggestion; sounds a sensible possibility. No sign of a Richard Smerdon bc 1789 either but I'll keep it in mind.

Richard

[athel_cb]

The argument could also work in reverse: I have a Winifred Eales (née Smerdon) (1731-1811) who married Richard Eales in Ashburton in 1757. Her father was Thomas Smerdon, from Buckland-in-the-Moor. He could have said Thomas Merdon and have had it recorded as Thomas Smerdon.

Incidentally, I was born in Ashburton, like the hero of Fred Hoyle's book Ossian's Ride. However, unlike him I have never lived there: during the war one had to get born where one could.