Parish Register comments

[majm]

I am looking through a parish register and in an otherwise bland document was this comment next to Hannah Humpage who was buried age 54

"This woman without a minutes previous illness, while she was making hay fell down and without uttering a word expired immediately. Whoever thou art who readest this prepare to meet thy God.”

So.. I've read it! Now what!

Those hay seeds can be inhaled and block off the airways.

You asked Now What! ' .... ummm ... may I offer:


  Make Hay while the Sun Shines. 
  Make Every Minute Count.
  Don't lie down on the job
 
 

JM

[coombs]

I have come across vicars say "chance child" on occasions in PR's, meaning illegitimate. Makes a change from "John son of Mary Smith, single woman", or "baseborn son of".

[Top-of-the-hill]

  "Chance child" - I like that!

[andrewalston]

From an 1871 newspaper article about Mawdesley in Lancashire, where one of my  families came from:

"It's been th' awfullest place alive," said an old gentleman whom we had a stray gossip with, "for chance childer;" and when he brought into our presence a great armful of documents, nearly a barrowful, and said that about half of them were bastardy orders, we swooned.

The term never seemed to make it into the registers though.