Chicken Family Simonburn

[CWALSH22]

Hello, I am new to this board and am looking for help.

My ancestors come from Simonburn. Lancelot was 22 in 1767 when he applied for a marriage bond to marry Elizabeth Plets on 20/06/1767.   He lived a Stoop Riggin or Stoop Ridge as I think it is know. I think Elizabeth may have lived at Fenwick Field Farm.

They had five children and three stillborns and moved to Burn House around 1775.

A Lancelot Chicken was baptised in Lee St John in 1741 and there seems to be no Chickens in Simonburn before 1767, but the date of birth is four years out. Does anyone have a record of a Lancelot being born in Simonburn in or around 1745 please?

I ask this because there is an application for a marriage bond which states Lancelot Chicken, Yeoman age 22 applied to marry Elizabeth Plets, 21 on 28/05/1767. Can anyone tell me in what circumstances a marriage bond has to be made, or is this another word for banns?

Lancelot died on 29/07/1781 leaving a young family. I know that my direct ancestor, his daughter Mary, had an illegitimate son in 1800, also named Lancelot, my great, great, great grandfather, and that there is a bastardy order that names Robert Kell as the father. She died a spinster in 1822. Would anyone know where I could get a copy of this order?

Thank you
Carolyn

[stanmapstone]

Hi Carolyn
Welcome to RootsChat
A visit to the clergyman issuing a marriage licence resulted in three documents, an allegation or affidavit, a marriage bond and the licence.
Basically the Allegation, or affidavit, is the application for the licence in which it was sworn, usually by the groom, that there was no lawful impediment to the marriage. The bond was a promise by two people, normally the groom and a relative, that they would pay the Church a substantial sum of money if the marriage proved invalid in the eyes of God and the law. Such bonds became compulsory from 1579, although not all dioceses asked for them. They were no longer required after the Marriage Act of 1823.


Stan

[stanmapstone]

See http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,438148.msg3016813.html#msg3016813 for examples of the documents.

Stan

[CWALSH22]

Thank you for this information Stan, especially the example which is very interesting.

Kind regards

Carolyn

[AJ99]

hi my ancestor is lancelot chicken dob unknown but he married elizabeth plets 20 june 1767. i only hav 2 of his children elizabeth chicken which is my ancestry line born 1747 and lancelot chicken born 1771 all from simonburn. i wonder if your 1741 is actually the 1771 lancelot.