Help with marriage from 1630 please

[Kessa]

Hi
The attached is from a marriage register of 1630.  The entry I need help with is the second one down for Nicholas Davie & Francisca.  Two transcripts give different names for Francisca' surname - one says it's POST and the other WEST.  I'm leaning towards Post but would welcome any thought.

Many thanks
Kessa

[pinefamily]

It looks more like West to me.

[Karen McDonald]

Hi,

If it is one of the 2 suggested names, the third letter would be an "s". I can't see that. The "s" in ffranncisca is completely different. In the surname, the top part of the stroke is missing completely.

OK, so I'm not consistent with my letters, either  , but this is a big difference.

The first letter could almost be another "f"...

Let's see what the experts have to say. 

[goldie61]

I think it is probably West.
The "W" is the same as the "W" in the first name  of 'William' in the line above.
Then as 'e' -  not well formed, but compare it to the 'e' in William's surname above - 'Barrell".
The third letter is probably an 's'. Yes, not the same as the one on Francisca, nor like the one at the end of Nicholas!
Not unusual to get different formations of the same letter, even within one document.
I'd like to see a bit more of the text for comparison - can you find another 'long s' like this one Kessa?

[horselydown86]

I am 100% certain it is West.

The capital P in this hand will look something like the one in the attachment.

When the long-s is followed by a t they will usually loop the line which connects the two, as here.

Here the long-s doesn't extend all the way to the top but that makes no difference to the reading.

[Kessa]

Thanks for all the suggestions, they have been a great help.  I've attached three portions of the same page.  One shows the names Pollard and Payton and the P in them is not like the first letter of Francisca's name.  So, I guess that rules Post out.
The 2nd scan is of the only instance I could find of a long S (in the top line) that looks like the one in the mystery name.  The 3rd scan is of two Ws in the first names of the 2nd and 3rd lines.  The first one is pretty close to the first letter of Francisca's surname.
Many thanks
Kessa
 

[pinefamily]

As you have done, Kessa, by looking at the wider register, you can often decipher the text.

[goldie61]

As pinefamily says, it's often a matter of comparing the letters you're not sure, of with other examples in the same piece of writing if you can find them.
Well done 

[Kessa]

Thanks for your kind words.  I must admit when I first saw it I threw my hands up in despair and thought I'd never work it out.  But everyone's help has been invaluable.  Thank you all so much for your interest.
Kessa