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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: BridgetM on Thursday 16 September 10 22:17 BST (UK)
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The will is relatively easy to read, but I'm having trouble with a couple of words. Is the first missing word Fourth? Is the following word Church? And is the next word really porch---or should it be parish?
the Elder or which of them that shall enjoy the said Lands and premises
by virtue of this my will at Two usual Feasts or days of payment in the
year that is to say, at the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel and the
annunciation of our blessed Lady St. Mary the virgin by even and equal parcels
which said payments and every of them shall be made at or in the
South or F_____ Church? ____ of Wendover aforesaid and? in case default
and failure of payment shall fortune to be made of the said sum of
twenty pounds per A[nnu]m given to him by me to be issuing out of the afore-
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I make it: Fourth (or from the context North) church porch in Wendover.
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I agree Redroger Fourth is what it says but North would fit better :-\
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Thanks, Roger. I hadn't even considered North. I thought the next word was Church, but for some reason the word porch seemed too modern--(and almost too casual)--so I thought it must be an unusual spelling of parish.
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Perhaps the church had a number of porches, and the fourth one faced south?
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Sorry to disagree folks, but I think it says Forren if you compare the individual letters with other words (there appear to be two forms of the letter r )
Must confess I have no idea what that means though, but I can't see th at the end of the word. Unless perhaps it is a version of foreign and there was a separate porch for strangers, which is clutching at straws. On the other hand, doesn't four porches seem rather a lot?
Roger
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Unless it's South or Fourth Church--i.e. the 4th church in Wendover, which is also the farthest south?
But I agree, Roger, it does look more like Forre_, though the final letter looks more like a modern "H" than it does like a 17th century "n."
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I googled Foreign Church Wendover and found this:
The parish of Wendover in 1837
The parish of Wendover is very extensive; containing 5000 acres, and, by the last census, 409 houses and 1920 souls. Of these, 1200 reside in the town of Wendover, distant a quarter of a mile from the church; and the rest called "The Foreign," are scattered in detatched cottages and little hamlets upon the Chiltern Hills, such as King's Wood and Lee Grove, at a distance of about three miles, and Scrub Wood, on the opposite hill at a distance of two miles . . .
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That's interesting, Bridget. Perhaps the "foreigners" had their own part of the church and a separate entrance? Or perhaps the South porch was their entrance? It sounds as if they might sometimes have had muddy boots!!
Roger
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I'm going to go with South or Forren (Foreign) Church porch.
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A quick Google re veals that Wendover church does have a North and South Porch! They are referred to as the North and South porches. I am not happy about the transcription though, Google: stmaryswendover.org.uk to see more .
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I looked at the link, Redroger, and now I'm not sure what I think! (Though I do think the elusive word begins with a double "f.")
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I know that feeling only too well Bridget, the mention of "Foreign" made sense contextually, as did the 2 small f's for a capital. Do you know when the term was first used? Why not google and ask them? A definite date would clinch things.
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OED has a word variously spelled 'foran / forne / foren / forrn / forn' and meaning 'at the front'.
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Thanks, Slam. Front porch definitely makes sense--but, in a way, so does foreign. So perhaps I'll leave it forren on my transcription.
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If you do Bridget, then make sure you annotate it by an asterisk *, otherwise in a few months you won't remember, and others reading it would have no chance at all.
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Thanks for the suggestion, Redroger. It's a good idea, and one I hadn't thought of.