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Can anyone help with the names of the witnesses on this baptism record for Elspeth Denoon, parents John Denoon and Janet James, in Moray 1716. I can make out Samuel James, John James and Elspeth Simson, but the others have defeated me. If any secretary hand experts out there can help, I'd be very grateful.

RWT

I am researching the WW1 experiences of my Great Uncle, who served with the Otago Mounted Rifles. I had hoped to use his service record and Regimental War Diaries to track his movements through the War, but (as usual) the Service Record has only sketchy information; and the war Diaries that survive are illegible online.

I have purchased The Troopers' Tale, which is useful. But I am looking for any information on the OMR and their location, role, experiences on the Western Front.

If anyone has any help, it would be gratefully appreciated.

RWT

Has anyone else had this problem? I use Ancestry a lot for research, looking for original documents, such as baptism certificates. This week I have been unable to access the originals of these records.

I am a sceptic, so guessed that the loss of access was not my computer's fault, but a result of "upgrades". Needless to say, Ancestry faffed around with explanations - my account had not been paid, my cache was too full, and so on. Finally, today, they admit that it's their fault "Sources are currently not displaying properly on the older Safari browser versions".

The solution? "If you're using a computer or mobile device that's no longer supported by the manufacturer, consider switching to a device that's supported by the manufacturer." Which I translate as "buy a new computer" ...

Now, I admit that I am a bit of a computer dinosaur - yes my Mac is described by Apple as "obsolete" - but the machine I have does exactly what I want in a way that newer machines don't. (yes, Apple, what happened to the Grab function that I use all the time...?) Am I alone in thinking that the Ancestry solution - buy something else - is unsatisfactory.

Is anyone else, with older kit, having the same problem?

RWT

PS I asked how much of a rebate I could expect ... Hope springs eternal...

My Great Great Uncle George Crighton was born in New Deer, Aberdeenshire, in 1815 and joined the 93rd Highlanders. He served in Canada in the 1840s (the Regiment participated in the Battle of the Windmill) before returning to Britain and leaving the army, medically unfit, with chronic rheumatism in 1853.

While serving in Canada, he and his wife had two sons, William and George. I have found a baptism certificate for George (1846) in Montreal. Now I have two questions:
1. Is there any way to source William's baptism certificate - he was born in 1843 in Ontario, according to the 1851 census records.
2. Could George Snr have married his wife in Canada while serving? Her name is Isabella - but the surname is not clear, some options are Winchester, Muchetser or MacLiester.

As ever, all help very gratefully received.

RWT

Does anyone know what the charges were by the church for baptisms, marriages and burials in England in the early 19th century? I had found some costs in one Parish record book, but this was for 1740. I was surprised at how high they were relative to what must have been the average wage of agricultural labourers at the time. I wondered if they went up by much over the period.

Or is there anywhere I could search to find them?

Thanks

RWT