Hi
Yes, the death record for Sylvester in Swindon Holy Rood you have in your notes is from Wiltshire Memorial Inscriptions. Well, it is indexed as a burial date - 30 May 1745 - but I am supposing it's more likely to be the date of death. Son of Mary and John. Mary Keen is 12 Feb 1753, age 72, wife of John. No dates for John, so on balance I am thinking he isn't buried there.
The description of Sylvester is found searching on google books, its about the Methodists, more specifically the preacher John Cennick. He and his followers were abused and attacked on occasions, none more so it seems than at Stratton, near Swindon. Sylvester Keen is described as the "chief clubber"
Just found reference to "An Account of the death of Silvester Keen, the persecutor of Cennick at Stratton and Swindon in 1745" (Cylchgrawn Cymdeithas Hanes y Methodistiaid Calfinaidd, Volumes 10-12) Unfortunately, I'm not sure that we are able to see that extract!
I've had a quick look at your will, John Keen does say "my three sons" as though he hadn't any others. It doesn't sound too good, but would Sylvester have been old enough then to have had such a serious falling out? Maybe he had already been provided for (they always suggest that in the books) or was the main beneficiary of some other Keen relative.
Good luck with your investigation of the chancery case on your next visit to TNA!
Alethea - I still can't see a baptism. As you will no doubt have noticed there are a few Skiner baptisms in Chiseldon from about 1709, parents Edward + Mary. No real marriage possiblilty for those two (except funnily enough one in 1696 in Great Faringdon, Berks)
I am wondering though if there is a problem with the Chiseldon parish register? Seem to be no marriages that I can find there for a longish period up to about 1713/14, bar a few in 1698? That's from several different sources.
Ditto the baptisms (two sources), none from 1681 to 1706, bar some in 1698. Don't know whether the 1698 records are from a BT, or whether BTs would cover some of the possible gap in the parish register, if there is one.
There is that other Alathea Skinner bap Chiseldon 1742 to Edward + Martha. Which could put the idea into our heads that Edward might have been a son of Edward + Mary, possibly born in that "gap" in Chisdeldon, or maybe born elsewhere, and that he might have had a sister Alethea!
John