Author Topic: One Family - Baptisms in multiple Parishes  (Read 2333 times)

Offline Megatill

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One Family - Baptisms in multiple Parishes
« on: Sunday 25 November 12 04:55 GMT (UK) »
My particular ancestry is in Leicestershire, and I am tracing one family - William Tilly (also Tilley, Tillie, etc.) who married in 1790 Elisabeth (also Elizabeth, etc.) Bates in Burton Overy.

I have already found 2 children baptised in Burton Overy

When I search William in the FamilySearch.org database, with wife Elisabeth, the search pulls up a number of children for Burton Overy, Leicestershire, and some for the Langtons (Church Langton, Tur Langton, etc. - referred to as East and West,​ Lan​gton).

My question is - is there any reason that a family located in one town (Burton Overy) would get their children baptised in two (or more) Parishes (Church Langton)?

Thank you!


Megan in Sydney
Australia/Scotland: Turnbull, Mackie/Mackay/McKey, Wilson
Australia/England: Hardy, Miller, Turnbull, Comber, Mackie, Tilley
England: Barratt/Barrett, Berridge, Bird, Booth, Bostorne, Buszard/Bussard, Hill, Jacomb, Jarvis, Marston, Miller, Noon, Persival, Roe, Smalley, Tilley, Weston, Wheat, Witsey
US: Tilley
England Counties: Leicestershire, Essex
Scotland: Roxburghshire
Wales: Llewellyns, Jones, Gower, Bowen & Morgan

Offline rancegal

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Re: One Family - Baptisms in multiple Parishes
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 25 November 12 15:27 GMT (UK) »


  It may have been done so that they could claim Parish Relief or the equivalent in those parishes.


   It was common among Traveller families for that reason.
Bridge: GT Catworth, Hunts, and surrounding area
French: Blisworth,  and W. Northants

Offline lizdb

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Re: One Family - Baptisms in multiple Parishes
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 25 November 12 15:59 GMT (UK) »
All sorts of reasons are possible. It is certainly not unusual for christenings of siblings to take place in various neighbouring parishes.
Often the nearest church (maybe across a footpath across fields) was not the church of the parish, so a family may swap to worshipping there just out of convenience, especially if they have a growing family to take with them. Or maybe friends worship somewhere else, so they go elsewhere for a few years with them. Or maybe a new vicar arrives who they don't like as much, so they try a neighbouring parish church (which might not be far away,).
Edmonds/Edmunds - mainly Sussex
DeBoo - London
Green - Suffolk
Parker - Sussex
Kemp - Essex
Farrington - Essex
Boniface - West Sussex

census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Megatill

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Re: One Family - Baptisms in multiple Parishes
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 25 November 12 22:14 GMT (UK) »
Thank you to Rancegal and Lizdb for your responses.

Personally, I do not think Parish relief was the reason, but it is obviously a consideration. Their children seem to be baptised in Burton Overy, then Church Langton and then Burton Overy and then Church Langton... every child a swapped Parish.

All other events occurred (as far as I can see, right now) in Burton Overy.

I will try the Church records to see if the Minister traveled between Burton Overy and Church Langton - that means the current FamilySearch.org indexes will be superseded by the "original" record/image.

Church Langton is only 4.4mi southeast of Burton Overy, which is very 'walkable'. However, there are a lot of Parishes closer to Burton Overy which could have been chosen instead, as they would have been quicker to get to. It's the fact of the distance of 4.4mi which is the puzzle for me - "why that specific parish".

I will never know the real reason why the family did what they did; but your two responses seem to indicate that there was no "church law/requirement" that 'made' them swap between the two Parishes.

Megan in Sydney
Australia/Scotland: Turnbull, Mackie/Mackay/McKey, Wilson
Australia/England: Hardy, Miller, Turnbull, Comber, Mackie, Tilley
England: Barratt/Barrett, Berridge, Bird, Booth, Bostorne, Buszard/Bussard, Hill, Jacomb, Jarvis, Marston, Miller, Noon, Persival, Roe, Smalley, Tilley, Weston, Wheat, Witsey
US: Tilley
England Counties: Leicestershire, Essex
Scotland: Roxburghshire
Wales: Llewellyns, Jones, Gower, Bowen & Morgan


Offline Sloe Gin

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Re: One Family - Baptisms in multiple Parishes
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 25 November 12 22:25 GMT (UK) »
Are you sure that the family was resident in the same place throughout?  It wouldn't be uncommon to move around, usually for work-related reasons.  Farm workers especially might be taken on by a different farm each year.
UK census content is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk  Transcriptions are my own.

Offline Megatill

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Re: One Family - Baptisms in multiple Parishes
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 25 November 12 22:43 GMT (UK) »
Hi Sloe Gin,

There are Tilley families in Burton Overy for as far back as I have gone to date (1400s).

My interpretation of that fact is that they (the Tilley family) had some sort of occupation that made them invaluable to the community.

For all the intermarriages into the Tilley family over those centuries, only a few came from the Langtons (Church, Tur, Thorp). Some also came from Kibworth Harcourt/Beauchamp.

It is my belief (from the later census records) that the elder boys went further afield, but always married and lived in Burton Overy.


Megan in Sydney
Australia/Scotland: Turnbull, Mackie/Mackay/McKey, Wilson
Australia/England: Hardy, Miller, Turnbull, Comber, Mackie, Tilley
England: Barratt/Barrett, Berridge, Bird, Booth, Bostorne, Buszard/Bussard, Hill, Jacomb, Jarvis, Marston, Miller, Noon, Persival, Roe, Smalley, Tilley, Weston, Wheat, Witsey
US: Tilley
England Counties: Leicestershire, Essex
Scotland: Roxburghshire
Wales: Llewellyns, Jones, Gower, Bowen & Morgan

Offline Sloe Gin

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Re: One Family - Baptisms in multiple Parishes
« Reply #6 on: Monday 26 November 12 00:26 GMT (UK) »
Do you know what William Tilly's occupation was?
UK census content is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk  Transcriptions are my own.

Offline Megatill

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Re: One Family - Baptisms in multiple Parishes
« Reply #7 on: Monday 26 November 12 02:19 GMT (UK) »
Hi Sloe Gin,

No, I do not know the occupations at the moment. The FamilySearch.org indexes (indices) that prompted this thread do not contain Occupation details.

I have yet to find the original documents/copies to view.


Megan in Sydney
Australia/Scotland: Turnbull, Mackie/Mackay/McKey, Wilson
Australia/England: Hardy, Miller, Turnbull, Comber, Mackie, Tilley
England: Barratt/Barrett, Berridge, Bird, Booth, Bostorne, Buszard/Bussard, Hill, Jacomb, Jarvis, Marston, Miller, Noon, Persival, Roe, Smalley, Tilley, Weston, Wheat, Witsey
US: Tilley
England Counties: Leicestershire, Essex
Scotland: Roxburghshire
Wales: Llewellyns, Jones, Gower, Bowen & Morgan

Offline lizdb

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Re: One Family - Baptisms in multiple Parishes
« Reply #8 on: Monday 26 November 12 08:54 GMT (UK) »
You say the parishes are 4.4 miles apart. Do you mean the centre of the parish? If they lived within a parish, but near the parish boundary it might only be a short way to the neighbouring parish?

This became clear to me when I visited the place when some of my ancestors came from. They too had some children chr in one parish and others in a neighbouring one. But when you saw whereabouts the farm where they worked and lived was, it wasnot very close to the parish church of the parish it was technically in - but you could see the spire of the neighbouring parish church just across the field. You could easily see why they had spells of worshipping there instead.
Many parishes are large areas, and so if you lived near the parish boundary you would not be 4.4 miles from the neighbouring parish!
Edmonds/Edmunds - mainly Sussex
DeBoo - London
Green - Suffolk
Parker - Sussex
Kemp - Essex
Farrington - Essex
Boniface - West Sussex

census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk