1790 RC baptisms, Pontop Hall, Lanchester, Durham-File RG 4/1, image 60 of 82

[Westoe]

Dear all,

I will very much appreciate a look at two baptisms by the trained eyes that can decipher these records.

Attached is a screenshot of the entry at the bottom of the left-hand page.



I can get the gist of it - "the same day was baptised Enock Donkerley, son of ??unreadable?? Donkerley conjugam (=married) but I can't get the two words after "conjug'm" or the names of the patrinus and matrina (godparents) by me, John Jones, then two Latin abbreviations standing, I believe for "mission priest".

I *think* that the godfather is the same as in the next entry at the top of the right-hand page which is also mine. This is the baptism of Mary Clarke, daughter of Thomas and Ann (olim Manners).

I will try to attach another screenshot.

EDIT: Erm ... apologies ... the images are in the wrong order in this post.

All help gratefully received.

Cheers,
Westoe

[horselydown86]

I *think* that the godfather is the same as in the next entry at the top of the right-hand page which is also mine.

Yes, I agree with this.  I read it as:

Gul. Hedley = Gulielmus* Hedley = William Hedley

There's a case that the godmother is another Hedley, probably some form of Maria/Mary.

I think the priest's surname is Johnson.

If you wait for the day to start in the UK, one of the better Latin translators will probably reply with more information.

* The word ending may be different in context.  This is the nominative case.

[JenB]

I think the priest's surname is Johnson.

According to my history of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle a Father James Johnson did indeed serve at the Pontop Mission at about this time.

The words immediately before J Johnson are 'a me' which means 'by me' (i.e. [baptised] by me .....)

The abbreviations after his name are Miso Apco, (Missionario Apostolico) i.e. Apostolic Missionary.

[Bookbox]

For the 2nd image I agree with what's been posted above ...

Eodem die bap(tizatus) fuit Enoch Donkerley
fil(ius) [...] & [...] Donkerly conj(u)gu(m) Prot(estantium) patrinus
fuit Gul(ielmus) Hedley, matrina Kat(e)r(in)a(?) Hedley
a me J. Johnson Mis(sionari)o Ap(ostoli)co

On the same day was baptised Enoch Donkerley, son of [blank] & [blank] Donkerly, a Protestant married couple; godfather was William Hedley, godmother Kat(herine?) Hedley, by me, J. Johnson, Apostolic Missionary

      (Modified - I think both parents' forenames have been left blank.)

[JenB]

For the 2nd image I agree with what's been posted above ...

I was hoping you'd call in 

[Bookbox]

I was hoping you'd call in 

But I wasn't really needed

[Bookbox]

1st image
Die 1^mo Maii nata & 6^to bap(ti)zata
fuit Maria Clarke filia [...]
Clarke & Annae Manners
conjugum Cat(holi)coru(m) ap(u)d S.
Shields, patrinus fuit Gul(ielmus) Hedley
matrina [...] Wilson amita

On the 1st day of May was born, and on the 6th was baptized, Mary Clarke, daughter of [blank] Clarke & Ann Manners, a Catholic married couple in South Shields, godfather was William Hedley, godmother [blank] Wilson, aunt.

[Westoe]

Thank you horselydown86, JenB and Bookbox for these replies - very quick and very helpful.

Initially, I didn't say what I thought because I did not want to colour anyone's interpretations, but I have looked at every entry in those 82 images comparing words.

a)  Yes, I also felt that Gul. Hedley was William Hedley, but to me the matrina in the Donkerley baptism looks more like Marg:. The Hedleys stood sponsors for several baptisms and one of the other priests had much more legible handwriting.

I've looked around and there was a Catholic William Hedley married to a Margaret in that area in that time frame.

Please will you look again at that for me?

b)  On the second line between fils: and Donkerley, there is one hard to read character. Is it really an ampersand? I took it to be the initial of the forename of the father, but I can't decide what it is. From what I know of this family, there are several possibilities for the father's forename, but once again I don't want to colour anyone else's views by saying.

Yes, I suspected that Prot. means Protestant. The word is completely spelled out in some of the other entries. But I cannot figure out the last word on that second line. It looks like nafzotmy which is gibberish to me.

Please will you look again at that word for me?

c)  That register was quite a hodgepodge of items - baptisms, marriages, deaths, lists of communicants, a domestic housekeeping account for a cistern and what appear to be reminder notes from the priest to himself.  One of those notes mentions Donkerley, which was a very commonly-found surname in Lancashire, and there were small clusters in Yorkshire, but it was quite rare in Durham and Northumberland so I have to consider it significant.

May I please impose one more image on you of that note? It is image #58 of 82 in that register.

Gratefully,
Westoe

[Bookbox]

to me the matrina in the Donkerley baptism looks more like Marg:.

Yes, after looking again I think you're right, and it is probably a g at the end. It could be Marg(areta) or Marg(eria), Margaret or Margery/Marjorie.

On the second line between fils: and Donkerley, there is one hard to read character. Is it really an ampersand? I took it to be the initial of the forename of the father, but I can't decide what it is.

Originally I thought this might be an initial E. But there should be 2 names there, and it is not exactly like the E for Enoch (above). On further reflection, and after seeing that forenames were missing elsewhere in the register, I decided it was probably an ampersand, between two missing forenames. That’s just my take on it. Others may think differently.

I cannot figure out the last word on that second line. It looks like nafzotmy which is gibberish to me.

The word is patrinus (godfather), as in my transcript above. It's distorted by a number of factors. The descender of the p collides with the g in the line below. The letters -atr- seem clear enough. The i is crossed through by the descender of the y in the line above. The next 2 letters -nu- seem clear. The final s is compressed and turned downwards, through lack of space.

I hope that helps.

I'm afraid I don't have time to do your last one just now, but I'll come back later if no-one else has done it.