Samuel Morgan of 'Westminster Bath', married in Chipping Sodbury

[arthurk]

Not as far-fetched as the parish of Westminster Bath, though.

...which presumably meant something to the person who wrote it. Our task is to find out what.

Is there anything to connect Samuel Morgan to Westminster, Middlesex? Did he sometimes live and work there, perhaps, so it's really Westminster and Bath?

[arthurk]

Searching again on Bath Ancestors, this time for Westminster (as any text), I found a Mary Morgan of St James, Westminster, aged 24. She is in the Mineral Water Hospital case book dated 21 June 1753, but died two months later.

That age would make her more or less the same age as Samuel. Coincidence - or significant?

[ShaunJ]

Another theory: "Westminster Bath" could be a mistranscription of Westerleigh (less than 3 miles away). Perhaps the parish clerk or the vicar could not read their own, or the other's, writing.

[arthurk]

... this was the period when Bath was an ultra-fashionable place to go, and growing rapidly: I wonder if one of the new developments was known for a time as Westminster, but the name then fell out of favour. After all, there are plenty of areas of Bath which share a name with parts of London or members of the nobility.

I've now looked at Bath Ancestors, the Somerset Archives catalogue and Genuki, and haven't found any evidence for this.

[KGarrad]

I am Somerset born and bred.
The only parishes in Bath I am aware of are:
St Michael
St James
St Peter and St Paul

Closest linguistically would be:
Weston,
Upper Weston,
Lower Weston,
Weston Park

[trish1120]

Quote by Watson;

How can trish1120 be so sure that "Bath" doesn't stand for Bachelor?

Experience and that none of the others on the page have marital status noted.

Trish

[Watson]

trish1120, your experience is important, but it is not evidence.  Facts are better.  The absence of marital status of others on the page is not an infallible guide, and "of the parish of Westminster Bachelor" would at least make some sense, and, at this stage, I don't think it should be ruled out.  The marriage allegation said bachelor.

It 's not as if there is a clearcut alternative solution.

[familydar]

I'm sure I've heard of Bath Minster although Mr Google isn't very helpful in this respect.  Whilst definitely written as a single word, might Westminster be West Minster, as in the area to the west of the Minster (Abbey)?

Jane :-)

[Old Bristolian]

The Abbey church of St Peter and St Paul is commonly referred to as Bath Abbey; I've never heard of it described as a Minster.

Steve