Parish Registers for St Swithins, East Grinstead

[Romilly]

Does anyone with local knowledge know...

Are the Parish Registers for St Swithins Church, East Grinstead, still held in the Church?

The Sussex On-Line Parish Clerks Site gives a Christening Entry for:

Mary PATTENDEN on the 6th January 1828.

It gives her parents as 'William and Mildred PATTENDEN.

I think that the 'Mildred' is a mistake, and that her mother was actually Amelia PATTENDEN. I would like to check the original Register if possible.

Cheers, Romilly.

[omega 1]

Hello Romilly

SFHG give Mum & Dad William & Mildred,William a Farmer

Kind regards
omega

[omega 1]

Back again

SMI 21 Oct 1814
William Pattenden marries an Amilia Dearing.
No later marriages to a Mildred.

omega

[artifis]

SFHG give the following baptisms including Marys:

13 Dec 1818 George s/o William & Amelia, labourer
1 Jun 1823 John s/o William & Amelia, farmer
21 Aug 1825 Stephen s/o William & Emily, labourer
6 Jun 1828 Mary d/o William & Mildred, farmer
12 Sep 1830 Thomas s/o William & Amelia, farmer

The four year gap between marriage and George's baptism and the five year gap between George and John makes me wonder if William and Amelia had other children baptised in another parish.

1851 census lists Amelia as being borne at Horne, Surrey living at East Grinstread with William, now a brewer, and son Thomas.
In 1861 she's an inmate at Sackville College, East Grinstead, described as carpenter's wife, born Horne, Surrey.

Labourer to farmer easy to understand and brewer as many such did the odd bit of brewing as a side line but jump to carpenter bit strange unless she was covering up his occupation.

[Romilly]

Many thanks for all of the replies.

I'm pretty certain now that 'Mildred' must be a mistake, and that Mary Pattenden's mother was really Amelia Pattenden, (née Dearling).

I've just obtained a copy of William Pattenden's Will, (he died in 1852) & on that he's a 'Shopkeeper'! (He seems to be something different each time I find him:-)

Cheers, Romilly.

[Romilly]

SFHG give the following baptisms including Marys:

13 Dec 1818 George s/o William & Amelia, labourer
1 Jun 1823 John s/o William & Amelia, farmer
21 Aug 1825 Stephen s/o William & Emily, labourer
6 Jun 1828 Mary d/o William & Mildred, farmer
12 Sep 1830 Thomas s/o William & Amelia, farmer

The four year gap between marriage and George's baptism and the five year gap between George and John makes me wonder if William and Amelia had other children baptised in another parish.

1851 census lists Amelia as being borne at Horne, Surrey living at East Grinstread with William, now a brewer, and son Thomas.
In 1861 she's an inmate at Sackville College, East Grinstead, described as carpenter's wife, born Horne, Surrey.

Labourer to farmer easy to understand and brewer as many such did the odd bit of brewing as a side line but jump to carpenter bit strange unless she was covering up his occupation.

I found this on the 'Felbridge Family History Site', artifis:

'William Pattenden married Amelia Dearling on 21st October 1814 in East Grinstead, and Amelia had been born in Horne in Surrey in 1791. William and Amelia had eight children, Amelia born in 1815, George born in 1818, James born in 1820, John born in 1823, Stephen born in 1825, Thomas born in 1830 and Caroline born in 1836. Daughter Amelia was born in Lingfield, George in Felbridge, Godstone, and the remaining six children in East Grinstead'.

I wonder why they miss Mary out? (Possibly because of 'Mildred' being shown as the Mother on her Christening record?) Incidentally... I've searched for a 'Mildred Pattenden' in the right timeframe, - and drawn a blank.

Romilly.

[mbjjones]

Hello there, I was wondering if you had found out more about the Pattendens since your initial post? I came across the Dearling name while trying to discover the name of my 3 x grandmother. I believe she may have been a Mary Dearling, sister to Amelia. There were three older Dearling siblings baptized in Lingfield, my Mary in 1783.(Younger siblings baptised in Horne I think).  My Mary had given her birthplace as Horne on the census, but I found a Mary Dearling baptized in Lingfield to William and Mary Dearling, Horne. I also came across some info posted by Pete Hunnisett about the Dearling, Pattenden, and Heasman families. I haven't confirmed that my Mary was Mary Dearling as I have only found a possible marriage for her in Kent, but here is Mr. Hunnisett's webpage. It states that Amelia was known as Mille.  Hope it helps!

http://www.hunnisett.me.uk/winchester/dearling-william-1752.php

Oh one other thing. If my Mary was Mary Dearling (she married three times and ended up as Mary Hounsome East Grinstead,  in 1851, mistranscribed as Hourisman, her daughter was married to John Weaire, carpenter. Perhaps he helped in the carpenter transition!

[Romilly]

Hi mbjjones,

Nice to hear from you.

Yes, I made some further headway since my last Post here... 'Mildred' was also transcribed as 'Mille' and 'Millie', and I think these were short for Amelia. I also found Mary Pattenden's Christening, and found a lot more Pattenden and Dyer Burials/Marriages and Christenings. I must get the files out and see where I got to... Thanks for reminding me!

Best Wishes, Romilly.

[artifis]

Millie is definitely an affectionate abbreviation of Amelia but I've also come across a couple of instances where Millie was the affectionate name for Mildred, one of my father's aunts was so called - he referred to her as Aunt Millie but knew she was Mildred and in the 1901 and 1911 censuses she was recorded as Millie but in the previous two as Mildred. 

Ancestor's use of affectionate versions of the person's proper forename in official documents such as censuses is confusing but that seems to have extended into even more official documents such as marriage and death registrations, even wills amongst my ancestors.  I wonder why the enumerator's, registrars and solicitors of the time didn't seek clarification of whether the affectionate name was the person's 'real' name, perhaps the affectionate versions were also the names people were baptised as.