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I would be grateful for any thoughts on a Tarporley, Cheshire 9 Nov 1823 baptism entry.

Fortunately there is a “Rough Register” as well as the Parish Register and Bishop’s Transcript.

The first records, “Christenings. 1823 Nov 9. Margret [sic] Dr. of Hannah Cookson mason Tarporley base”.

The PR records, “1823 Nov 9. Margt. daughter of Hannah Cookson. Abode: Tarporley. illegitimate”.

The BP reads, “1823 Nov 9. Margt. daughter of Hannah Cookson. Abode: Tarporley. illegitimate spinster mason”. The words “spinster” and “mason” were then struck through. All other illegitimate births either side of this for several years follow a different format, e.g. “Joe base son of Jane Bloggs of Tarporley”, with no profession/trade mentioned. So Hannah's 'mason' reference stands out even more. I should add that the entries preceding and following Margaret's are married couples and include the father's trade so I do not think it is a 'data entry error' back in 1823.

When Margaret married in Tarporley on 26 Jun 1845 her father was recorded as ‘William Cookson. Carpenter” though he did not sign the Register as a Witness if he was present that day.

The word “mason” stands out as I think it unlikely Hannah Cookson was a mason in rural Cheshire in 1823. If her father was actually William Cookson, why would Hannah have the same surname if she was unmarried (unless it was a coincidence) ? And if William was her father, how likely is it that he would change trades from mason to carpenter ? Was ‘mason’ a subtle reference to whoever actually was Margaret’s father ?

I don’t think I will ever solve Margaret’s parentage but any thoughts/suggestions/comments on the above would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Simon

Hi,

Two minor points for clarification:

a. In heraldry, the black birds on the shield are martlets.

b. The object between the two crescents is a trefoil (a leaf with three petals).

One idea - a bit of a long shot maybe - is to contact shield makers in the UK and see if they can help. I have no idea how many there are and which may no longer be in existence but they might be able to help.

Good luck with your search.

ATB

Simon

Hi,

I posted this link a couple of times in the past in response to other queries on likely Merchant Navy cap badges:

https://archive.org/details/merchant-navy-cap-badges-gallery/yeoward%20bros.jpg

There are over 500 examples there of different Merchant Navy cap badges.

Possibly not comprehensive but it might be worth having a look.

If you can identify the badge from that link, you can then research the shipping line and that will hopefully help you date the photo in some way.

You might also consider finding a message board with a specialist Merchant Navy theme and re-posting there.

Good luck with your research.

Simon

Hi, Both,

A huge thank you for your swift and extremely helpful posts.

I have just checked the Harleian MSS Catalogue and there it is in 1988 (see attached picture). The Catalogue goes on to detail the contents over several columns/pages.

I have just compared my 1791 book with the one on Google Books. The latter is a precursor to my finished copy. I have already spotted several major differences between the two. So, this new (and earlier) copy is a gem. A great find.

Thank you both.

Best wishes.

Simon