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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Sussex => Topic started by: clontarf on Wednesday 27 March 13 22:59 GMT (UK)
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Not sure if this should be a new topic but I now want to follow up on the Nairn arms.
The reference on The National Archive website to the arms of William Aveling/Nairn is a catalogue entry. The actual photo is at the Sussex Record Office. Does someone live near there and wouldn't mind having a look for me, and compare it with the following descriptions?
I found two English Nairn(e) arms in the General Armoury of England, Wales etc:
Nairn (cos. Kent and Sussex). Paly of three sa. and ar. a chaplet of four roses leaved ppr.
Nairne (England). Per pale sa. and ar. on a chaplet betw. three cinquefoils four roundels all counterchanged.
Because of the Sussex connection the first seems a likely candidate to be those of Fasham Nairn. Paly normally means an equal number of vertical stripes, so not sure what a paly of three means. Basically this is a shield of vertical silver and black stripes with a garland or wreath of leaves centrally placed with four equally spaced roses (N, S, E, W) on the garland.
I think the second description means a shield with silver left half and black right half, garland with roundels instead of roses and surrounded by three five petalled flowers.
In the will Fasham Nairn says that in the event of William Aveling or his two sisters become entitled to inherit the estate they should "apply for and obtain an Act of Parliament or the King's Sign Manual or take such other means as may be necessary for assuming and taking upon him her or them respectively my surname (and arms) of Nairn". I am fairly sure you cannot simply take over another person's arms, hence the King's decree that "That he may bear the arms of Nairn quarterly with those of Aveling; and that the said surname and arms may also be taken and borne by his issue; such arms being first duly exemplified according to the laws of arms, and recorded in the Heralds’ Office".
Would there be any significance in the order of the quartering? If Nairn is on the top left (and bottom right) quarter is this because William now bears the name Nairn? If Aveling is in the top left quarter would this be treating William as the product of an Aveling father and a Nairn mother?
How do I engage the Royal College of Arms to give me details of the grants to Fasham Nairn and William Aveling Nairn (I know it can be very expensive)? I read somewhere that a pedigree of several generations had to be supplied when registering arms. I am hoping to discover what the surname Fasham Nairn's mother Susannah was. I think it is probably Fasham - related to the family that lived in the Isle of Thanet in Kent. Fasham Nairn's ancestors lived at Wingham, Barham and Sandwich in Kent.
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See http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,640992.10.html for further information on the family.
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I have attached my idea of what the two English Nairn arms might look like as well as a potential quartering.
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Hi clontarf,
I will be going to Chichester (WSRO) either next week or the week after and will have a look at the arms for you - unless someone else gets there first!
I wonder if it might be worth putting a link to this thread on the heraldry board - the people there have loads of knowledge of these things and would be able to answer your questions about the significance of the order of the quartering. I'm only a beginner at heraldry - but it is a fascinating area!
Liz
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Thank you Liz. Much appreciated.
I will put this on the Heraldry board as well. I have some other speculations about what the design might tell me about when the arms were granted.
The reference for the document in the West Sussex Record Office is
"A photograph of a grant of arms to William Nairn Aveling of Barnets Place, West Hoathly 1834. Par/379/7/66"
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;D Hi,
I was at the WSRO today and had a look at the photo. ::) ::) Oh dear - it was quite indistinct in places and being in black and white didn't help!
However, here is as much of the tricking as I could read and I have made a sketch of the actual arms (which was less than 2cm square) which I will send you tomorrow when I have had a chance to tidy it up a bit.
I am putting the tricking here as someone else may recognise it? ;).
With regard to your sketches - it isn't actually any of them - but your first arms (Nairn Kent / Sussex) - imagine that as 1 & 4 but instead of stripes, it is quartered.
Liz
… Prince Edward do give and grant to William Nairn heretofore William Aveling of Barnets Place in the Parish of West Hoathly in the County of Sussex, Gentleman this Royal Licence and Authority that he may with a compliance with a Proviso contained in the Last Will and Testament of Fasham Nairn of Bury Street in the Parish of St James Westminster in the County of Middlesex and of Barnets Place aforesaid Esquire deceased to continue to use the surname of Nairn only that he may bear the Arms of Nairn quarterly with those of Aveling and that the said surname and Arms always be taken and be borne by his issue such Arms be first duly axemplified according to the Laws of Arms and recorded in the Heralds Office otherwise the said Licence and penison to be void and of none effect. And foreasmuch as the said Earl Marshal did by warrant under his hand and seal bearing date the fifteenth day of August last authorize and direct us to grant and axemplify the Arms of Nairn and Aveling accordingly know ye therefore that the said GARTER and CLARENCEUX in obedience to the Royal command ….
... unto the said William Nairn the Arms following that is to say Quarterly First and Fourth Quarterly Sable and Argent a Chaplet charged with four Quarter foils counterchanged for Nairn second and third azure a Gryphon passant Or on a Chrel engrailed of the last A Crois Croislet atchee of the field for Aveling And for the Crest of Nairn on a wreath of the colours a dexter arm embowed in armour properthe hand holding a chaplet vert charged with four quarter foils argent encircling an estoile or for the crest of Aveling on a wreath of the colours a gryphon passant or wings azure with a pied coronet and the dexter foreclaw resting on a croi crosslet fitchee of the last
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Thank you Liz, that is wonderful!
Lots of food for thought in the description of the Nairn arms and crest. They are, to me, closely related to other two English arms in my sketch; and all are obviously based on the arms of Lord Nairn. Whether this is based on actual kinship or a desire to be associated with Lord Nairn is an interesting question. The same basic design motif of a silver and black shield with a wreath with four charges (rose, quarterfoil, cinque-foil, roundel) on the wreath with everything generally counterchanged (ie. the wreath, rose etc is silver where the background is black and vice versa - see my second drawing).
The similarity in designs lends weight to the suggestion that the Nairns may have been Jacobite supporters. (see - www.sussexhistory.co.uk/history-east-grinstead/east-grinstead-history%20-%200218.htm). However countering that argument is the fact that Capt Fasham Nairn voted at least twice for the Whig leader Charles Edward Fox in the elections for Westminster St James.
Given that the two arms I drew are not those of Fasham, whose are they? Probably relations - I can show plausible connections between almost all the Nairns in southern England pre 1800. Possibilities would be:
Charles Nairn (d. 1797)m, gentleman of Cranbrook - first cousin of Capt Fasham Nairn and son of Rev. Richard Nairn dean of Battle;
Rev. Fasham Nairn (1756-1845) - nephew of Capt Fasham Nairn;
Rev. John Nairn (1729-1806) of Wingham in Kent - prob first cousin of Capt Fasham Nairn;
Fasham's brothers Rev. John Nairn and Capt Henry Nairn.
The mention of the estoile (a star) in the Nairn crest is intriguing. A star is the cadency mark of a third son. Could this be a hint that the arms date back to Fasham Nairn's great grandfather Richard Nairn/Nearn (d. 1670) of Wingham?
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Good Morning!
It is snowing again ::) and my printer / scanner is not working so my little sketches cannot be uploaded. I have to venture out now but will have a go at fixing the scanner when I get home this evening.
Actually though - given that I was looking at a very small bad photo, the written description is actually better... ;D
Liz
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Having read some of the posts for Fasham Nairn, i have a direct interest now in the NEARNS - NEARNES - NAIRNS of County Kent , England.
My Nairn Family Ancestors came from County Sligo in Ireland , where my Gt Grandfather David John Nairn(1871- 1933) came from.
The Earliest mention of Nairns/ Nearns in Co Sligo , is that of a John Nairn & wife , in 1749.Havent been able to find any Nairns before this date & id always pondered on when & how they came to be there in 1749 ?Theories included ,they arrived with various Armies from Scotland/ England, & that they may have escaped after Culloden to Ireland as some escaped to the Continent after 1746.
I now have a DNA Link for The Nairns of Sligo that links them back to County Kent in the mid 18th century, to a David Nairn who married Hannah Gibbs in Westbere , Kent 20 July 1754.
From a little research ive found ''English'' Nairnes in Co Kent from at least the Early 1600s.As far as the Scottish Chiefly House goes the Nairnes were staunch Stewart Supporters from at least the time of Robert Third , King of Scotland. David Nairne of the House of Sandford, Fifeshire spent his entire Career as a Jacobite in French exile, being a Courtier to the Stuarts in Exile at St Germaine en laye, near Paris, and the Lords Nairne of the House of Nairne , Perthshire were Jacobites , John, 3rd Lord Nairne escaped to France after Culloden where he & his sons lived in exile.Several Sons were Officers in the French Army , but others were in the British army , so there were divided loyalties within the Clan.
The Nairns/Nearns apparently first arrived in Londonderry in Plantation times , ie 1609 onwards.records for Early Nairns in Ireland are very few !, but i have found ''Heraldic evidence'' for where some of the Earliest Nairns came from !. Burkes General armoury 1895 - NEARN (Reg,Ulsters office) IRELAND Az.a Griffin rampant.holding in each paw a key all or. The ''Crest'' being - a Lions head erased or.
NEARNE (Co Kent) Quarterly or and az. four Lions Heads erased counterchanged.
Both these are very different from the Nairns of Scotlands , Chaplet, but we still see the use of ''Counterchanging'' with NEARNE OF KENT which is The Scottish Nairns Heraldic system !
Both NEARN & NEARNE are variants of Nairn & Nairne.
One of the Co Sligo Nairn Families was still using ''NEARN' as their Family Surname well into the 20th century.
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I have a theory that all the NAIRN(E)/NEARN(E)s in Kent are descended from a David Nairn, sometime curate of Paddlesworth and Swingfield who died at Swingfield in 1666. I have been able to connect almost every individual into four main groups with strong hints of connection between two of the groups and a weaker link to a third. The fourth so far unconnected group is half of the Nairns in Chatham.
There is a good possibility David Nairn who married Hannah Gibbs is a 2nd cousin of Fasham Nairn of Barnetts Place, but I have yet to prove it.
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Hi Clontarf.
Thanks for your Reply.
Im very interested in your findings on the Nairnes/Nearns of Kent & especially any Irish Connections.I have looked into Captain Fasham Nairn in the past & have some research on him & his Lineage. A David Nairne (1622 -1642 ? Active)- Preacher - Gained an MA from Cambridge University & was Ordained in 1622, Church of England , under bishop Laud ? Yes he was Curate of Swingfield, & active until at least 1642. In Ireland ,1640 - under James Butler , were 2 Nairns - Alexander Nayrne ( Nairn) - 5th Troop Horse Captain & a Lieutenant Thomas Nayrne in a Foot regiment.In 1642 , Alexander was again chosen as a Horse Troop Capt for the war in Ireland , by the English Parliament, but fought at Naseby etc in Col James Wardlaws Dragoons.He disappears from History after this time, but i think he may have been from South Eastern England , as opposed to Scotland .He had a Patent in the New England Company.In the Military in Ireland he appears with other Aristocratic Anglo - Irish Land owners such as Faithful Fortescue, John Trenchard, & Others , who i think were from the Surrey & kent Region. Alexander Nairns War Flag/pennon is also (azure & Or - Nearnes of Kent - Nearn of Ulster) , Fringed sable & Argent (Nairnes of scotland).Unfortunately very little else on him.
Edward Nairne of sandwich Kent was a prolific Inventor, producing one of the first Electrical Machines, the Rubber eraser & Telescopes etc .He was a personal Friend of Benjamin franklin.He had a Brother, Richard in the Royal Navy who was active in the War of Independence & was corresponding also with Franklin at the time.Edward Nairnes Father was a Maltster of Sandwich, Kent i think ?
Like David Nairne, Curate of swingfield, there were a number of Anglican Nairne Ministers of Kent,Sussex & wiltshire. A Richard Nairne was Dean of Battle Abbey.Im very interested in your lineages on the Nairnes of Kent.I can send you my Email address If your interested in corresponding this way ?
Regards from Kerry.
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Hi Clontarf.
You mention that Fasham Nairn may be a 2nd Cousin of David Nairn who married Hannah Gibbs in Ramsgate 1754.That would mean that Richard Nairne of Wingham ( d.1670) was thier Great Grandfather ?Do you have a Lineage for Richard Nairne ?, as id be very keen to try & connect David Nairn of Ramsgate , married Hannah Gibbs 1754.
in a book ''The Poll for Knights of the Shire to Represent The County of Kent'' - 1734 (Does this mean John Nearn was a Knight, ie Esq ?) , we find, John Nearn , his abode is Wingham , & his Freehold is New Church.Also in 1734 we find both William & ''Richard Gibbs'', both their abode & Freehold is Willesborough, near Ashford.(Also there were Henry Gibbs,John Gibbs, Thomas & Edward Gibbs)
In ''The Chronicles of Wingham'' , listed under both ''Church Overseers'' & ''Church wardens'' , we find from abt 1726 - 1740 both John Nearne & ''Richard Gibbs'' serving very close to each other several times during these years.Could this John Nearne have been David Nairns Father & Richard Gibbs, Hannahs Father ?
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in a book ''The Poll for Knights of the Shire to Represent The County of Kent'' - 1734 (Does this mean John Nearn was a Knight, ie Esq ?) , we find, John Nearn , his abode is Wingham , & his Freehold is New Church.Also in 1734 we find both William & ''Richard Gibbs'', both their abode & Freehold is Willesborough, near Ashford.(Also there were Henry Gibbs,John Gibbs, Thomas & Edward Gibbs)
A Poll Book is somewhat similar to an electoral register, but published after an election. As there was no secret voting at that time (and of course only significant male landowners had the vote), the book was published giving not only the names of voters but which candidates they voted for.
A 'Knight of the shire' was a name for a Member of Parliament elected by the voters of the county listed in the poll book.
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Hi Kerry,
If Fasham Nairn and David Nairn are indeed 2nd cousins, then yes, their great grandfather is Richard Nearne (1630-1670), miller of Wingham and probably the 2nd son of Rev David Nairn, curate of Paddlesworth and Swingfield.
Fasham Nairn is the 2nd son of Rev. William Nairn (1686-1769) and Susanna; William is the 2nd son of Richard Nairn (1664 - ), maltster of Barham, and Frances Johnson; Richard is probably the 2nd son of Richard Nearne (1630-1670) miller of Wingham and Elizabeth Redman.
David Nairn (m. 1754 Westbere) was baptised 18 Mar 1728 in Ickham, the son of William Nairn (1697-1743?) and Ann Rayner. David had a brother Rayner, a son Rayner, and at least 4 grandchildren and great grandchildren with Rayner as a middle name. I believe William is the son of John Nearne (1668-1736) yeoman of Wingham and his 2nd wife Martha Strong/Strainge. John is probably the younger brother of Richard Nairn the maltster. John's will mentions his wife Martha, son William and son (in law) Regis. Martha's will in 1745 leaves everything to her granddaughter Martha Regis. The main point of uncertainty in this descent is whether William Nairn son of John and Martha born 1697 in Preston nr Wingham is the William Nairn of Ickham who married Ann Rayner of Wingham in 1719.
Does the Wingham churchwarden/overseer John Nearne appear after 1736? If not then I think he is almost certainly the yeoman and thus probably your David Nairn's grandfather.
All except one of the Anglican ministers pre 1800 in Kent, Sussex and Wiltshire are relatives of Capt Fasham Nairn:
Rev. James Nairne (d. 1677), vicar of Isle of Grain - no wife or children, mother in Scotland, aunt in London: no known connection;
Rev David Nairn (d. 1666) curate of Paddlesworth etc: gr gr grandfather of FN;
Rev William Nairn (1696-1769) : father of FN;
Rev Richard Nairn (1698-1760) Dean of Battle Abbey: bro of Wm and uncle of FN;
Rev Thomas Nairn (b. 1736) son of Richard of Battle Abbey: 1st cousin of FN;
Rev John Nairn (1729-1760) of Kingston, born in Bermuda: 1st cousin of FN;
Rev Richard Nairn (b. 1729) : elder brother of FN;
Rev John Nairn (1730-1815): younger brother of FN;
Rev Fasham Nairn (1757-1845) sometime rector of Little Bealings: nephew of FN.
Fasham's sister and a female cousin also married vicars.
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Correction: the younger Rev. John Nairn was born 1737 not 1730
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Richard Nairn (1664 - ), maltster of Barham
Richard Nairn, maltster of Barham, born 1664, died in 1755 :)
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I have a burial for Mrs Frances Nairn on 12 Aug 1755 from the Barham bishops transcripts, but could not find any burial for Richard. Where does this record come from?
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I have a burial for Mrs Frances Nairn on 12 Aug 1755 from the Barham bishops transcripts, but could not find any burial for Richard. Where does this record come from?
Yes, that was his wife :)
I am sorry, going back I can see that I have not recorded the source. I am terribly sorry, had I realised I never would have posted at all. For awhile, going back, I wondered if I might have based it on his wife's year of death, but I see I have recorded his birth date as the 20th of October 1664. That is a bit too specific to be the result of approximation. So both dates are probably from the same source, most likely a book somewhere. I find Ancestry's system for putting in 'outside' sources very cumbersome, so oftentimes they don't actually end up there.
I will get back to you should I ever find the source :)
Have you found the will of Henry Lawson yet?
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I have a baptism for Richard of 20 Oct 1664 - from the Wingham bishops transcripts. I shall be most interested if you have a second source for this date. When I viewed the transcripts in 1995, I had a note that the original registers were still with the incumbent. I dont know whether that situation has changed - I would really like to see them to check on a few names I had trouble reading.
No, I dont have a will for Henry Lawson.
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I have a baptism for Richard of 20 Oct 1664 - from the Wingham bishops transcripts. I shall be most interested if you have a second source for this date. When I viewed the transcripts in 1995, I had a note that the original registers were still with the incumbent. I dont know whether that situation has changed - I would really like to see them to check on a few names I had trouble reading.
No, I dont have a will for Henry Lawson.
I clearly must have that date from somewhere :)
I checked Ancestry and FamilySearch and those records have yet to show up there, as far as I could see.
Extensive googling has unfortunately not led me back to where I could have found it. It is probably some obscure volume printed for ten people that I found using precisely the right archaic spelling of the last name combined with exactly the right search phrase ...
I will let you know should I ever come across it again :)
No, I dont have a will for Henry Lawson.
Let me know if you ever find it :) I was never able to, but I found the information I sought in other sources eventually.
If you are right about the David Nairn who married Hannah Gibbs in Ramsgate 1754 and the William Nairn of Ickham who married Ann Rayner of Wingham in 1719 being relations of Richard Nairn, maltser (1664-1755), there is a good chance of one of their descendants being mentioned in that will :)
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The eldest daughter of Richard Nairn/Nearne (b. 1664) maltster was Mary. She may be the Mary Nearne spinster of St Margarets Canterbury who married by licence dated 1 Feb 1709 Thomas Lawson husbandsman, bachelor also of St Margarets (ref. Cowper, Canterbury Marriage Licences). Familysearch shows a marriage between JOHN Lawson and Mary in 1709. I have not yet checked the original documents for either record.
This supposition is strengthened by a court case in Bermuda where Sarah Nairn, third daughter of Richard, refers to her "sister Lawson" (thank you to Kerry for pointing me in this direction). Richard's eldest son John was also in Bermuda in the 1720s and his son John is the Rev John Nairn (1727 - 1806) of Kingston. Richard's second son Rev. William Nairn was in Bermuda and Virginia about 1726 to 1728 having inherited some shares in a free school there that were left in the will of Sir Nathaniel Rich in 1635. I have yet to trace the succession that led to the shares being with William Nairn.
There is no will for Samuel Lawson in the PCC or Consistory or Archdeaconry Courts of Canterbury. Is it possible he may also have gone to Bermuda? I am currently working my way through the Bermuda wills looking for any Nairn wills or Thomas Lawson's will.
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Henry Lawson left bequests to 139 people in his will, most, if not all of them, his cousins :) If any of the descendents of David Nairn and Hannah Gibbs and/or the descendans of William Nairn and Ann Rayner made any kind of favourable impression on him, there are good chances they are mentioned in that will if they are indeed relations :)
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I think I meant Henry, not Samuel! I thought it was remarkable Fasham Nairn's will mentioned 53 people, but 139 must be some sort of a record!
I have now checked the original records for the Lawson/Nearne marriage 2 Feb 1709/10 (old style dates). The licence, which is in Latin, has "Thomam Lawson Agricolam" (FHL film 8309434) and the marriage register "John Lawson" (FHL film 4021505). Who knows which is correct. Neither document shows a signature.
Richard Nearne the maltster died before August 1755. The Archdeacons transcripts for Barham (FHL 4021532) say Mrs Frances Nairn was a widow. The original registers have now been filmed (as have Wingham's) but are only available on microfilm, not as digital images.
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Dear all,
I was intrigued by the view in Clontarf's post that "all NAIRN(E)/NEARN(E)s in Kent are descended from a David Nairn, sometime curate of Paddlesworth and Swingfield" . I think I agree.
Presumably he was the David Nearne who was married to Mary Chapeman; and who witnessed an assize bill in 1651 under which Thomas Soames of Lyminge, a labourer, was convicted of bigamy (having initially married in Paddlesworth) and was subsequently hanged.
Does anyone have a date and / or place of birth for David Nearne?
Presumably he was father to the David Nearne born in Swingfield in 1634?
And the brother to the Richard Nearne who married Mary Mariner in Eastbourne in 1629?
Most of all, I'd love to know how the Nairns/ Nairnes /Nearnes ended up in Kent when the surname has such strong Scottish roots.
Scottish-educated clergymen did sometimes come to English parishes in the early Stuart period (for example - Davidus Naren, MA from St Salvator’s College, St Andrews; Appointed vicar of Darton, Yorkshire 25 May 1626 and who died 9 March 1628).
Any additional insight into the very early Kent / Sussex Nairnes gratefully received.
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Hi Spes Ultra
According to the Clergy of the Church of England database (db.theclergydatabase.org.uk), David Nairn was ordained deacon on 15 Apr 1622 at Canterbury, with a qualification of MA. Assuming he has been 4-5 years at University for the MA and entered University at age 16 to 18, then he would have been born about 1600-02. I have not found him in the published records of Oxford or Cambridge universities, so he may have attended a Scottish university.
He was curate at Swingfield 1626-65, and curate at Paddlesworth 1630-65.
He married Mary Chapman on 25 Apr 1627 at Acrise. She may be buried as Mrs Nairn on 21 Aug 1663 at Wingham.
I believe their children were:
George, yeoman of Wingham, baptised 21 Feb 1627/28 at Elham; mentions his brothers Richard David and William in his will made in 1676; also mentions several cousins and nephews named Fagg - presumably on his mother's side of the family (no luck yet in tracing the connection);
Richard, miller of Wingham, bapt 1 Feb 1629/30 at Swingfield;
Agnes, bapt 8 Mar 1631/32 at Swingfield;
David, bapt 28 Aug 1634 at Swingfield "son of David Nairne and Mary Chapman";
William, brewer of Wingham, bapt 21 Dec 1737 at Swingfield;
Mary, married 10 Dec 1662 at Paddlesworth, buried 1 Mar 1694 at Paddlesworth;
Joannah, buried 14 Nov 1663 Swingfield.
As curate of Swingfield and Paddlesworth he is bondsman for four marriages 1634-42, testifying to the consent of the bride's father in one.
All these records from the Bishops Transcripts which have a gap 1642 to 1662, in which I presume the births of Mary and Joannah occurred. My chart has for years had another daughter Ellen died in 1661 at Swingfield, but I cant now find my notes for this event, but if true her birth probably also occurred in the gap. I dont know if the original registers have any events recorded in the gap. They have now been filmed, but are not readily accessible through familysearch.
There is another Nairn clergyman in Kent at this time who did come from Scotland - Rev. James Nairne vicar of the Isle of Grain from 1669 to his death there in 1677. His will leaves legacies to his mother Dorothy, citizen of St Andrews, his brother Alexander, also of St Andrews, his aunt Frances [Vigion] of London, and kinswoman Thomasin Tredwin, also of London. I think James may have been born 1642 at St Andrews to James Nairne and Dorothy Quarles. His MA is recorded at Oxford in 1668 "incorp. St Andrews". I presume this means he started university at St Andrews and either transferred, or completed his BA at St Andrews and then did his MA at Oxford. He died relatively young and does not appear to have married or had children. I can find no connection to the other Nairns in Kent. The same Christian names recur again and again in the (presumed) descendants of Rev. David Nairn, but not one Alexander as a far as I know.
I did not know about the 1629 marriage for a Richard Nearne at Eastbourne. Do you have a reference?
As to how the Nairns ended up in Kent, I presume some Scots saw opportunities in the accession of James VI to the throne of England in 1603. It would help to know who had the patronage of the livings at Swingfield and Paddlesworth. British History Online suggests for Swingfield - maybe Sir T. Palmer, bart.; and Paddlesworth was a chapelry of Snodland which was under the patronage of the Bishop of Rochester with possible connections to the Palmer family.
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Apropos the Palmer connection:
George Nearn in his will 1676 gives "unto the Right Worthy Sir Henry Palmer of Wingham aforesaid and baronett and to the honoured Lady his wife to each of them a Ring to the value of 20 shillings"
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Hi Clontarf
Thanks for that comprehensive summary of David Narne, the curate of Swingham and Padsworth (and also the information on Rev. James Nairn of Isle of Grain) . I like the hypothesis that David the curate may have been one of the many Scots who saw opportunities in moving south during the reign of King James. It would nevertheless be great to find some compelling evidence to support this.
(A relevant example of the Scots who benefited from the accession of King James is Alexander Nairne (of the Sandford family). Initially "brinder" to the king, later chamberlain to the queen and surveyor of the king's castles and forts, married in London, raised a family around Farnham in Surrey, traded shares in the East India Company and then obtained a crown charter for land back in Scotland in the 1630s. )
You specifically asked about Richard Nairn who married in Sussex in 1629. I only have what I found on Family Search:
Richard Nairn, 20 June 1629 married Mary Mariner, Eastbourne, Sussex
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QW-7VYB
There is a reference to another David Narne in Jacobean England that might be worth looking into in an effort to shine some light on the origins of David the curate:
Euphame Narne, daughter of David Narne, married David Young, at St Dunstan's in Stepney Middlesex on10 September 1622
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NJ8D-39K
I also still wonder if there could be some familial link between David the curate and Davidus Naren, vicar of Dalton, Yorks (died 1628)
http://db.theclergydatabase.org.uk/jsp/persons/CreatePersonFrames.jsp?PersonID=111262
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As one attempt to see if a Scottish origin for the curate David Nairn was valid, I tried to see if a common Scottish naming pattern applied to his children - for boys: paternal grandfather, maternal grandfather, father; for girls: maternal grandmother, paternal grandmother, mother. What makes this a pattern is not the source of the names but the specific order, especially the fact that parent's names are not used until the third child of each sex.
Curate David's third son is David, so its worth a try. Applying the pattern gives:
Mary Chapman's parents as Richard and Agnes - consistent with an English origin;
David Nairn's parents as George and either Mary (because she appears to be the 2nd daughter) or Ellen or Joannah - could be English, but is not inconsistent with a Scottish origin.
As a very rough order of magnitude guide to how common some names are in Scotland I put the male names into familysearch with a date range 1600 to 1700 with the following results:
John 109,800
James 78,600
William 63,000
Alexander 34,800
George 25,800
David 18,500
Charles 3,500
Richard 2,500
Edward 1,500
For three generations after curate David Nairn the name frequency in his male descendants is:
Richard 5, David 4, William 3, John 3, George 2, Edward 1.
These names could just as easily have an English origin as Scottish and at the moment there is no way of telling how much they derive from Mary Chapman's family (or the other wives families). Of the roughly 2000 results for Nairn/Nearn in familysearch for the period 1500 to 1650 in Scotland, not one is a Richard. So, if the curate David is a Scot I think it unlikely the Richard Nairn marrying in 1629 is his brother. But not impossible - I am not suggesting this is a rigorous statistical analysis.