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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: Norm33 on Saturday 20 January 18 03:05 GMT (UK)

Title: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: Norm33 on Saturday 20 January 18 03:05 GMT (UK)
Before I even attempt trying to translate the Latin in the Registry Entry below, I need to decipher the priest's handwriting - which I suspect will need some knowledge of the terms he uses:

(http://)

Any help/advice more than gratefully received.

Norm33
Title: Re: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: solidrock on Saturday 20 January 18 03:10 GMT (UK)
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Latin_Genealogical_Word_List
Title: Re: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: maggbill on Saturday 20 January 18 03:43 GMT (UK)
Hi there,
I am not a Latin translator by any means (1 year in high school, ) but have some knowledge of church Latin.... Difficult one though.  I will repeat the text with possible English in brackets.

Anno (Year) 1863, die (day) 26, mensis (Month) ?? Juniy (?June), Stephanus Butler (Stephen Butler),  ex (from?) Cannon St.  ???pt ,
aetatis (age) 43 an. (43 years), in communione S. Matris Ecclesiae  (in communion with Holy Mother church ) animum Deo  reddidit  (rendered his soul to God) sacramentis munit ?? (reinforced by the sacrament), cuis corpis  (whose body) die 3,  (day 3,) Ecclesi
Mensis (Month) Juliy (July),   sepultum est in (is buried in), Cemeteria (cemetery?) ,  ????, stro??? ,  ????ius  (???), in Ecclesia (in church),  ?peractis, (???)
Georgius Robson (George Robson,  ????apost (???)

Might help a bit.
Title: Re: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: Norm33 on Saturday 20 January 18 04:05 GMT (UK)
Thanks to you both.
I had already delved a bit into a number of Latin Wordlists, solidrock, but a number which maggbill has identified and translated has reduced my search to a relative few - and I suspect, the difficult ones.

As Stephen, who happens to be my great-grandfather, lived in Stoke Damerel, in Plymouth I feel sure that the word after "Cannon St." is Father George's abbreviation for Devonport. This makes it likely too that the middle word between "Cemeteria"  and "in Ecclesia" is Stoke.  But the words that look like "apuds" "eriegiius" and "peractis" or "per aetis" still elude me.

Having said all that, I am thanks to you both further ahead than I've been.

"Gratias vobis ago"
Title: Re: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: horselydown86 on Saturday 20 January 18 04:14 GMT (UK)
I was working on this at the same time as maggbill.

I will post it, although ii's mostly the same.

Anno (Year): 1863
die (day): 26
mensis (month): Junii = June
Stephanus Butler
ex (from) Cannon St. [place name]
aetatis (age) 43 an(nos) = years
cujus corpus:  whose body
die: 3
mensis: Julii = July
sepultum est in = buried in (not sure about the tense)
Then:  [placename - begins with C] apud (at) [placename may begin Sto?] [? - may or may not be part of placename] in Ecclesia (church or assembly) [?]

Signature:  Georgius (George) [initial = unsure, might be F] Robson
Then what looks like his position: [Mi?]:Apost.

ADDED:

...Caemeteria apud Stoke...
Title: Re: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: Girl Guide on Saturday 20 January 18 08:52 GMT (UK)
If this is the right Stephen Butler this looks like his death registration

BUTLER, STEPHEN       43 
GRO Reference: 1863  J Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL  Volume 05B  Page 238   

There is a burial record for a Stephen Butler, burial date 3 July 1863, birth year 1820, burial place Stoke Damerel - This is on Find My Past.

Is this the same Stephen as yours?
 
Title: Re: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: JenB on Saturday 20 January 18 09:04 GMT (UK)
Then what looks like his position: [Mi?]:Apost.

Miss[ionario] Apost[olico] = Apostolic Missionary.
Title: Re: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: Bookbox on Saturday 20 January 18 10:54 GMT (UK)
It's very well covered above, but just to put it all together ...

Anno 1863 die 26 mensis Junii Stephanus Butler ex Cannon St Devpt
aetatis 43 an(norum), in communione S. Matris Ecclesiae animam Deo reddidit Sacramentis munitus, cujus corpus die 3
mensis Julii sepultum est in Caemeteria apud Stoke exequis in Ecclesia peractis
Georgius F.(?) Robson    Miss(ionarius) Apost(olicus)


On the 26th day of the month of June in the year 1863 Stephen Butler from Cannon Street, Devonport, aged 43 years, in communion with the Holy Mother Church (and) supported by sacraments, gave up his soul to God; his body was buried on the 3rd day of the month of July in the cemetery at Stoke, the funeral rites having been completed in Church.
George F.(?) Robson, Apostolic Missionary

"Gratias vobis ago"
"Nihil est"
Title: Re: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: Norm33 on Saturday 20 January 18 22:14 GMT (UK)
Aren't you all just brilliant?

I came to the forum with hope but not optimism and I've left with both.  Thank you all.

One thing I have been able to do is to establish that the clergyman was a George Hobson, his name being confirmed by an entry in 1871 UK Census at 165 James Street as “Catholic Priest of St Michael’s”.  I assume the church is the Church of St Michael and St Joseph that was located on James Street, Mutton Cove, Devonport but the site was sold and the church demolished in 1984.

But to add a little more to the story, it seems there were a few Catholic churchyards, and it may be that the words that I had thus far been unable to decipher are Father Hobson’s record of the fact that Stephen had been buried in the churchyard of a neighbouring Anglican one.  This would also explain the fact that his burial is registered again, as can be seen below, in the Anglican Parish of Stoke Damerel.

(http://)

I don't recall ever coming across a death that was "blessed" with two burial registry entries, but there you have it.

Again, my thanks to everyone. Your help could not be more appreciated.



Title: Re: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: Norm33 on Sunday 21 January 18 00:11 GMT (UK)
A belated, I'm sorry, answer to your question, Girl Guide.

Yes, it is the same Stephen Butler thank you.

And to complete the documentary evidence, so to speak, this is a copy of his Death Certificate:

(http://)

Thanks again,
Norm33
Title: Re: Help needed deciphering priest's handwriting on Burial Registry entry
Post by: Maiden Stone on Sunday 21 January 18 07:24 GMT (UK)
Nice picture of the church:
www.devonportonline.co.uk/historic_devonport/buildings_historic/st-michael-st-joseph/st-michael.aspx
This website also has transcripts from 19thC local directories.

The burial took place a few years after boroughs were allowed to have cemeteries to relieve problems with town churchyards. Plymouth may not have got round to it. Perhaps a member of your ancestor's family already had a grave in the Anglican churchyard.
It was also not long after the restoration of Catholic Hierarchy in England in 1850. Before then there had been no Catholic dioceses or parishes since the Reformation. England was a mission country and was organized in mission areas which were very large. Hence the priest's title of Apostolic Missionary. He may have looked after more than 1 congregation. At the same time a cousin of my 2xGGF was a clergyman in Southwark Diocese which stretched to Portsmouth and beyond to islands, before it was split in 2. He seemed to have travelled a bit, saying Mass in houses if there was no church, then if a congregation increased, buying a plot of land to build a church.