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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Borley Manor on Thursday 21 December 23 22:18 GMT (UK)

Title: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Borley Manor on Thursday 21 December 23 22:18 GMT (UK)
I have found a local cemetery gravestone that features the incumbents name and relevant dates naturally, but after the deceased name has the letters M.N.I. after them. Can anybody assist me in identifying these letters please ??
Thank you for any help at all.   ???
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: PaulineJ on Thursday 21 December 23 22:25 GMT (UK)
Male, female, adult, child, location, profession/occupation in life?
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Drayke on Friday 22 December 23 09:19 GMT (UK)
Depending on the date and location it could mean 'Member of the Nautical Institute'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautical_Institute (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautical_Institute)
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: GR2 on Friday 22 December 23 09:37 GMT (UK)
If they died after 1840, can you find them on a census and see if that helps?
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Hollander on Friday 22 December 23 09:46 GMT (UK)
Could the 'I' possibly be a 'J' ?
The letter 'J' was often carved as an 'I' in MI's and building date stones.
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Wexflyer on Saturday 23 December 23 00:23 GMT (UK)
I have found a local cemetery gravestone that features the incumbents name and relevant dates naturally, but after the deceased name has the letters M.N.I. after them. Can anybody assist me in identifying these letters please ??
Thank you for any help at all.   ???

Possibilities include some variant or corruption of:
- Academic award
- Membership religious order or society
- Membership of some civic society, etc.
So it  would help if you could give location, date of death and religious profession. Right now could be the Antipodes for all we know.

A photo might help - certain of the letters?

Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Gadget on Saturday 23 December 23 10:44 GMT (UK)
Hi

I see  from your details that you are in East Anglia so I assume that the cemetery is there.

My first thoughts were something  related to the Merchant Navy but, so far, I've not found a match from this list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_post-nominal_letters_(United_Kingdom) ***


As other;s have said, details of age, etc would help.

Gadget
]
PS - I see it's your birthday - Happy Birthday  :)

*** the link should work but the second time I clicked on it referred me to the correct  page!
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Wexflyer on Saturday 23 December 23 10:58 GMT (UK)
Advertising for National Mortgage Insurance?
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Ray T on Saturday 23 December 23 11:26 GMT (UK)
“Mariner Not Interred”? - i.e. buried at sea - could be anything.
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Wexflyer on Saturday 23 December 23 11:27 GMT (UK)
Mostly Not Interred
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: arthurk on Saturday 23 December 23 14:10 GMT (UK)
You say he was the incumbent, so I checked an old edition of Crockford's Clerical Directory to see if it was among the abbreviations used there. It wasn't - the nearest was M.M. for Military Medal.

If you can give us his name, maybe we could find something in his career that it might relate to.
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Gadget on Saturday 23 December 23 14:24 GMT (UK)
I've just finished scrolling down the listing that I referred to and the only MNI that is showing is

 
Quote
Member of the Nautical Institute    MNI


Gadget
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Gadget on Saturday 23 December 23 14:25 GMT (UK)
... but it can't be that as it was founded in 1971!
Title: Re: Gravestone deciphering.
Post by: Borley Manor on Wednesday 27 December 23 15:27 GMT (UK)
I must admit to having lost the actual gravestone now. I know more or less where it is, it is just the narrowing it down. I have been back walking the dog two or three times over the seasons holidays, all to no avail. It is a well orderly cemetery, so looking it up should be easy, but.....!!!

This is purely a bit of self indulgence really, but it piqued my interest, now I am embarrassed. Thanks all who have replied, but I now need to re-find the stone, write the details down and go from there. This now becomes an obsession to the extent that I am wearing the poor dogs legs down. ;D