More Bristol marriages

I have received a further batch of Bristol marriage certificates from Guild member Derek Allen. These certificates are for Cruse marriages found in the recent Bristol marriage challenge. Derek previously sent me all the relevant marriages for the Cruwys surname in the Bristol registration district, and I have provided details in a previous blog post. I have so far not been able to place any of these marriages in existing trees, though I have identified a couple of possibilities for two of the marriages. Outline details are given below. If anyone would like further information on any of these marriages do get in touch.

- 1883 St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol: Susan Cruse, daughter of Francis Cruse, gardener, and William Davey, widower and grocer, son of Joseph Davey, farmer.

  

- 1838 St James, Bristol: Elizabeth Cruse, servant, daughter of Richard Cruse, labourer, and Benjamin Sheppard, labourer, son of Uriah Sheppard, labourer.

- 1844 St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol: Mary Ann Cruse, daughter of Richard Cruse, farmer, and John Jeams, confectioner, son of George Jeams, baker.

- 1849 St Nicholas, Bristol: John Cruse, labourer, son of Richard Cruse, labourer, and Harriet Hunt, daughter of William Hunt, labourer.

- 1865 St James, Bristol: Thomas Cruse, labourer, son of Isaac Cruse, labourer, and Elizabeth Webley, widow, daughter of James Fowler, hatter.

- 1874 St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol: Emily Rachel Cruse, daughter of Samuel Cruse, tailor, and Thomas Bradford, shorthand writer, son of James Bradford, builder.

- 1883 St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol: Susan Cruse, daughter of Francis Cruse, gardener, and William Davey, widower and grocer, son of Joseph Davey, farmer.

© Debbie Kennett 2011

Sir John Cruys vicar of Branscombe 1463

Guild member Alan Moorhouse has very kindly sent me a photograph he took of a plaque inside St Winifred's Church in Branscombe, Devon, which lists the names of the vicars from the 1200s through to 1972. Included on the plaque is the name of Sir John Cruys who was vicar of Branscombe in 1463. Branscombe is on the south coast of Devon and some distance from the Cruwys heartland in Cruwys Morchard near Tiverton in the north of the county. This is the first reference to the surname I have seen from this parish. Does anyone else have any further information?

© Debbie Kennett 2011

Latest marriage challenges

I have had a number of faux marriage certificates arrive in the last few weeks from various Guild Marriage Challenges. I have provided outline details below. If a marriage has been allocated to a tree the name of the tree is provided in brackets. If you are interested in receiving a copy of any of the certificates listed below do get in touch. The details have been extracted from the parish registers held at the appropriate local record office. Thank you to Caryl Gill for the Neath marriage certificate, Des Gander and team for the Barnstaple certificates, and Steve Whitaker for the details of the marriage in the Wellington (Shropshire), Registration District.

Barnstaple Marriage Challenge
- 1876 St Mary Magdalene, Barnstaple: Charles Crouse, mariner (father’s name left blank) and Ellen Lake, widow, daughter of James Darke, lacetwister.

- 1882 Parish Church, Landkey: Edwin Cruwys, grocer, son of William Cruwys, farmer, and Sally Cawsey Webber, daughter of George Webber, retired farmer (Mariansleigh tree).

- 1902 Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, Barnstaple: Bessie Cruwys, daughter of Thomas Cruwys, shoemaker, and John Warren Kemp, warder, son of John Warren Kemp, master mariner.

- 1905 Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, Barnstaple: Kezia Cruwys, widow, daughter of Daniel Pearce, farmer, and Percy Humphreys Davy, passenger guard, son of William Davy, inspector of railways (Mariansleigh tree).

Neath Marriage Challenge
- 1886 St Clement Church, Briton Ferry: John Crews, grocer, son of John Crews, deceased, and Sarah Annetts, daughter of Henry Annetts, railway guard.

Wellington (Shropshire) Marriage Challenge 1853-1881
- 1859 All Saints Church, Wellington: Jane Cruwys, daughter of William Cruwys, dyer, and James Bishop Richards, printer, son of John Richards, sailor (Shrewsbury tree).

© Debbie Kennett 2011

My new book on DNA testing and social networking

As you will probably have noticed, I have not had much time to write for this blog in recent months. The reason for the silence is that I have been very busy working on my first ever book which, perhaps not unexpectedly, took far longer to write than I had anticipated. I was commissioned to write the book by The History Press. It is part of a new family history series, and I am contributing a volume on the subject of DNA testing and social networking for the family historian. I am very grateful to The History Press for giving me this opportunity and to Penny Law of Family History Monthly, who recommended me to the publishers on the strength of the articles I have contributed to the magazine. The book is due out on 1st October 2011, and is now listed on Amazon. The manuscript is now with the publishers. DNA and social networking have both been somewhat challenging subjects to write about, especially as there are so many new developments to keep up with. I will no doubt have to make changes when I eventually receive the proofs, and there will inevitably be some aspects of the book that will be out of date by the time it is published, though the general principles will still hold. I hope to have more news in due course.

© Debbie Kennett 2011