Lymington and Steyning Marriage Challenges

I have details of a number of marriages courtesy of two recent Guild marriage challenges. Colin Ulph undertook a search of the marriage registers in the Steyning Registration District in Sussex and was able to find two of the six marriages I requested. Jennifer Eagle searched the registers in the Lymington Registration District in Hampshire and located five of the six marriages I requested. I have put outline details of all the marriages below. If  you are interested in any of these marriages do get in touch and I will supply the full certificate details. Many thanks to Colin and Jennifer for all their hard work.

Lymington Marriage Challenge

- 1862 St Thomas, Lymington: Samuel Richard Cruise (occupation illegible), son of Richard Cruise, blacksmith, and Hannah Elizabeth Roberts, daughter of John Roberts, mariner

- 1888 St Thomas, Lymington: Samuel Henry Cruise, boat builder, son of Samuel Richard Cruise, mariner, and Annie Maria Elford, daughter of John Elford, painter

- 1897 St Thomas, Lymington: Ada Florence Cruise, daughter of Samuel Cruise, sailor, and Frederick Earnest Moth, plumber, son of Jonas Moth, sail maker

- 1898 St Thomas, Lymington: Bessie Maude Cruise, daughter of Samuel Richard Cruise, mariner, and Robert Godwin, groom, son of Thomas Godwin (deceased), baker

- 1907 St Thomas, Lymington: Minnie Hettie Cruse, daughter of Samuel Richard Cruse, mariner, and Sidney Lance Collins, painter, son of William Alexander Collins (deceased)

Steyning Marriage Challenge
- 1892 St Mary de Haura Parish Church, New Shoreham, Sussex: Clara Charity Cruse, daughter of Richard Cruse, gardener, and Louis Henry Everest, publican, son of John Everest, postman. (Chailey tree)
-1899 St Patrick's Church, Hove, Sussex: Arthur Edward Crews, stock jobber, son of Charles Thomas Daniel Crews, stockbroker, and Maud Helen Stewart, daughter of William Edward Stewart, physician.

© Debbie Kennett 2011

Catching up on Marriage Challenges

I've received a number of marriage details in recent months from various Marriage Challenges conducted by my fellow members of the Guild of One-Name Studies. I have got somewhat  behind in posting details to this blog, something which I am now attempting to rectify. I am now providing below outline details of the latest faux marriage certificates I've received, with the names of the trees where known shown in brackets. If you are researching any of these lines do get in touch and I would be happy to send a copy of the faux certificate which contains all the details you would expect to find on the real marriage certificate but without the necessity of paying £9.25 to obtain the information.

Birmingham Marriage Challenge
- 1876 St George, Birmingham: Elizabeth Cruse, daughter of Martin Cruse, labourer, and John Frederick Woolley, pearl cutter, son of Samuel Woolley, pearl cutter.

Berkhampstead Marriage Challenge
- 1902 St Peter and St Paul, Tring, Hertfordshire: Ellen Cruise, daughter of John Cruise, labourer (deceased) and Arthur Baldwin, son of Henry Baldwin, labourer (deceased).

East Ashford Marriage Challenge
- 1840 St Martin, Aldington, Kent:  Martha Cruse, widow, daughter of William Cott or catt, labourer, and Richard Ealy or Eady, son of Thomas Ealy or Eady, labourer.

Hastings Marriage Challenge
- 1860 St Mary Magdalen, St Leonards, Sussex: Frances Caroline Cruse, daughter of Edmund Cruse, coachman, and Samuel Ginger, blacksmith, son of Thomas Ginger, blacksmith.
- 1885 St Matthew, Silverhill, Sussex: John William Cruse, son of Edmund Cruse, coachman, and Hannah Lydia Carey, daughter of Thomas Carey, farmer (deceased).
- 1886 St Matthew, Silverhill, SussexAnnie Sarah Cruse, daughter of Edmund Cruse, coachman, and Charles Scrace, son of Henry Scrace, sawyer (deceased).
- 1901 St Matthew, Silverhill, Sussex: James Frederick Cruse, farmer, son of Edmund Cruse, coachman, and Christina Margaret Stewart Huggins, daughter of George Huggins, gardener.

Romford Marriage Challenge
- 1887 St Mary, Great Ilford, Essex: James Cruse, labourer, son of James Cruse, blacksmith, and Jean Lemon, daughter of John Henry Lemon, builder (James Cruse and Maria Shepherd line from Burlescombe, Devon).
- 1887 St Mary, Great Ilford, Essex: Julia Cruse, daughter of James Cruse, blacksmith, and John Frederick Webster, soap cutter, son of Thomas William Webster, hairdresser (James Cruse and Maria Shepherd line from Burlescombe, Devon).
- 1900 St Margaret, Barking, Essex: Emmeline Annie Cruse, daughter of James Cruse, blacksmith (deceased), and George Henry Rayner, bootmaker, son of William Rayner, bootmaker (deceased) (James Cruse and Maria Shepherd line from Burlescombe, Devon).
- 1907 St Andrew, Romford, Essex: Ellis Cruse, labourer, son of Joel Cruse, labourer, and Annie Elizabeth Digby, daughter of Walter John Digby, brewer's employee (Imber tree from Wiltshire).
- 1908 St Margaret, Barking, Essex: Albert Cruse, labourer, son of James Cruse, blacksmith, and Mary Ann Reading, daughter of William Reading, seaman (James Cruse and Maria Shepherd line from Burlescombe, Devon).
- 1908 St Margaret, Barking, Essex: Emma Cruse, daughter of James Cruse, crane-driver (coach driver?), and Edmund Gurney Puller, labourer, son of Arthur Puller, provision dealer (deceased) (James Cruse and Maria Shepherd line from Burlescombe, Devon).
- 1910 St John the Evangelist, Seven Kings, Essex: Sarah Cecilia Wray Creese, daughter of John Thomas Wray Creese, gentleman (deceased), and Harry Richard Cowling, draper, son of William Cowling, tailor.
- 1911 St Margaret, Barking, Essex: George Henry Cruse, son of James Cruse, blacksmith, and Caroline Annie Dommack, daughter of Joseph Albert Matthias Dimmack, shoemaker.
- 1911 St Margaret, Barking, Essex: Georgina Cruse, daughter of John Cruse, labourer, and Henry Edward Hemp or Kemp, engine driver, son of Henry Hemp or Kemp, labourer (deceased) (James Cruse and Maria Shepherd line from Burlescombe, Devon).

Winslow Marriage Challenge
These five marriages all relate to the same family but I've not yet had the time to do any reconstruction work on this line.
- 1862 Parish Church, Stewkley, Buckinghamshire: William Cruse, drover, son of William Cruse, baker, and Martha Smith, daughter of James Smith, labourer
- 1893 Parish Church, Drayton Parslow, Buckinghamshire: Ellen Cruse, daughter of William Cruse, stock dealer, and Charles Illing, bootmaker, of St Giles in the Fields, London, son of Ezra Illing, bootmaker
- 1896 Parish Church, Drayton Parslow: Henry William Ayres, packer, of Holloway, London, son of  Samuel Ayres, engineer, and Sarah Cruse, daughter of William Cruse, stock dealer
- 1897 Parish Church, Drayton Parslow: William Nathaniel Mayne, plumber, son of George Mayne, plumber, and Annie Cruse, daughter of William Cruse, cattle dealer
- 1898 Parish Church, Drayton Parslow: William London, ironmonger, of Fulham, London, son of Thomas London, baker (deceased), and  Clara Cruse, daughter of William Cruse, stock dealer.

Many thanks to Anni Berman, Peter Copsey, Lynda and Roger Goacher, Shelagh Mason, Pauline Pederson and Graham Taylor-Paddick for their hard work finding all these marriages in the registers and transcribing all the details.

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

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

Rye marriage certificate

I've received a faux marriage certificate in the post from Guild member Roger Goacher who recently undertook a Marriage Challenge for the Rye Registration District in Sussex. The certificate is for the marriage Eleanor Crews and Samuel Eldridge which took place in June 1856 in Northiam, Sussex. Samuel was a widower at the time of the marriage. He was a labourer, and is the son of Samuel Eldridge, a bricklayer. Eleanor is the daughter of George Crews, a labourer. I have no further information on this line as yet but if anyone is researching this family do get in touch and I'd be happy to send a copy of the certificate.

© Debbie Kennett 2010

Two more St George's Hanover Square marriages

Guild member Sian Plant has kindly sent me details of two further marriages she found as part of her Marriage Challenge for the St George's Hanover Square Registration District in London. The two marriages are as follows:

- 1906 St Gabriel: Beatrice Elizabeth Cruse, daughter of Frederick Cruse, chef, and Arthur Edward Taylor, warehouseman, son of Robert Taylor, gentleman.

- 1907 St Gabriel: Annie Belinda Cruse, daughter of Frederick Cruse, waiter, and George Albert Stevens, accountant, son of Joseph Stevens, electrician.

Beatrice and Annie are sisters. Their father Frederick Cruse was born in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in 1849, and was the son of James Cruse and Caroline Walter. Frederick married Ann Youels in 1870 in the St Giles Registration District in London. Frederick's father James was born in 1817 in Ogbourne St George, Wiltshire, the son of Jonathan Cruse and Hannah Waite. Thanks to the dedicated research of David Cruse over many years the Ogbourne St George tree is now very well documented and can be traced back to the mid-1600s. The Ogbourne St George parish registers have unfortunately not survived prior to 1664.

More from St George's Hanover Square

Guild member Sian Plant has kindly sent me the details of another marriage she found for me in her Marriage Challenge for the St George's Hanover Square Registration District. The details are as follows:

- 1897 St Matthew, Great Peter Street: Henry James Cruse, 28, labourer, son of George Cruse, engineer, and Elizabeth Chapman, 19, daughter of George Chapman, labourer

I don't currently have any record of Henry James Cruse in my database. There is no birth registration in England and Wales for a Henry James Cruse though I do have a number of Henry Cruses born around the right time who are currently unaccounted for. I've not yet been able to find any trace of Henry and Elizabeth in the 1901 or 1911 censuses and I have also been unable to find any likely candidates in the earlier censuses with a father by the name of George. If anyone has any information on this couple do get in touch.

© Debbie Kennett 2010

An intriguing marriage at St George's Hanover Square

Guild member Sian Plant has found another marriage for me in the registers of St George's Hanover Square which has led me on an interesting search through the censuses. Frederick Thomas Cruse married Catherine Harriet Frances Pringle on 6th June 1853 at St George's Hanover Square. Frederick was a bachelor of full age living at Charlotte Street, Pimlico. His occupation was given as "Bank of England". He was the son of Thomas Cruse, a land surveyor. Catherine was a spinster of full age living at Bentinck Street, St Marylebone. She was the daughter of William Henry Pringle, a lieutenant colonel. I didn't have any record of Frederick Thomas Cruse in my database but I've now located him and his wife Catherine in the 1861 census living in Greenwich. Frederick is now known as "Fred". He is a clerk at the Bank of England and obviously a man of some substance as he has sufficient means to employ a live-in cook and housemaid. Fred and Catherine have a six-year-old daughter Harriet Margaret Cruse. Harriet's forenames are mistranscribed as "Hartwig" which is understandable when you look at the census image as both names are abbreviated and are quite difficult to read. I wonder if the transcriber had been reading too much Harry Potter and was subconsciously thinking of Harry's owl Hedwig! Frederick was born about 1818 in Somerset. I've not been able to decipher his place of birth. If anyone can read it do let me know. The census image can be viewed here if you have an Ancestry subscription. The transcriber had similar difficulties and transcribed the place as "Kateth". I cannot check the place of birth in any subsequent censuses as Fred sadly died in 1864. In 1851 he was lodging in St Pancras but only gave the county of Somerset for his place of birth. I've been unable to find a suitable match in the 1841 census. It seems likely that Frederick is in some way related to the Cruses of Rode in Somerset.  Jeremiah Cruse (1758-1819) of Rode was a well-known land surveyor, but without a baptism for Fred or the 1841 census entry I am unable to link him into the tree. I don't have any record of a Thomas Cruse of the right age working as a land surveyor.

© Debbie Kennett 2010

West Ham marriages

I have received a big envelope in the post from Guild member Peter Copsey containing a large number of faux marriage certificates from his recent Marriage Challenge for the West Ham Registration District. I would like to thank Peter for all his hard work locating all these marriages in the parish registers at the Chelmsford Record Office. I have provided outline details of all the marriages below with the name of the tree in brackets where known. Copies of the certificates can be supplied on request.

- 1858 St John the Evangelist, Stratford: James Cruse (widower), a re???er officer, father dead (name not given), and Charlotte Margaret Goodwin Hitch, widow, daughter of John Hunt, a re????er officer.

- 1866 St John the Evangelist, Stratford: Mary Ann Elizabeth Crews, daughter of George Richard Crews, lighterman, and Edmund Franklin, son of Edmund Franklin, farmer.

- 1878 St Mary's, Wanstead: Sarah Cruse, daughter of Thomas Cruse, labourer, and Henry White, son of Ezekiel White, gardener.

- 1888 Annie Ada Louise Cruse, daughter of George Cruse, gentleman, and William Henry Jolly, ship builder, son of George Jolly, retired civil services.

- 1893 All Saints, West Ham: Albert Garrick Cruse, warehouseman, son of Henry Cruse, silversmith, and Caroline Abra Herridge, daughter of Francis Herridge, carpenter (William Cruse and Mary Ann Guildersleve line).

- 1897 St Gabriel's Church, Canning Town: John Charles Cruse (widower), lighterman, son of George Cruse, labourer, and Hannah Coughlin, daughter of Jeremiah Coughlin, stevedore.

- 1901 All Saints Parish Church, West Ham: Edward Thomas Cruse, printer, son of Edward Thomas Cruse, beadle, and Janet Frances Amelia Gillard, daughter of Arthur Gillard, carpenter (John Cruse and Mary Rook line)

- 1903 All Saints Parish Church, West Ham: Charles William Cruse, tram conductor, son of Silas Cruse, engineer's foreman, and Eva May Humphries, daughter of William Thomas Humphries, painter (Imber Cruses from Wiltshire)

- 1903 St Mary the Virgin, Plaistow: Henry Goodwin Cruse, agent, son of Henry Goodwin Cruse, agent, and Beatrice Rose Titin, daughter of George Titin, piano maker. (William Cruse and Mary Ann Guildersleve line).

- 1906 All Saints Parish Church, West Ham: Edward Thomas Cruse (widower), printer, son of Edward Thomas Cruse, beadle, and Louisa Edith Carswell, daughter of Arthur Carswell, deceased. (John Cruse and Mary Rook line)

1909 St Barnabas, Walthamstow: James Henry Crewes, clerk, son of James Eastlake Crewes, turner, and Julia Sophia King, daughter of Joseph King (profession illegible).

1911 Sarah Louisa Cremer, bookfolder, daughter of James Cremer, brewer, and Adam William John Lopez, printer, son of Samuel Lopez, painter.
(Note this marriage was incorrectly transcribed on FreeBMD under the surname Crewes. The register clearly shows that the surname was Cremer not Crewes. A copy of the faux certificate can be supplied on request to any interested researchers.)

© Debbie Kennett 2010

Another Marriage from St George's Hanover Square

Guild members Sian Plant and Mary Ghrist have kindly sent me details of another marriage found in the St George's Hanover Square Marriage Challenge:

- 1867 St Michael Chester Square: Henry Cruse, son of Stephen Cruse, gardener, and Martha Margaret Elcock, daughter of John Elcock, gardener

Henry Cruse was born about 1839 in Teddington, Middlesex, and was the son of Stephen Cruse by his first wife Elizabeth Pasco. Stephen was born about 1806 in Teddington, and was the son of William Cruse, who was also a gardener. No baptism has yet been located for Stephen and we are currently unable to trace this line back any further.

© Debbie Kennett 2010

Marriage certificates from the Shrewsbury tree

Just before the cost of ordering certificates from the General Register Office went up at the beginning of April I put in a large £119 certificate order. I purchased three Cruwys marriage certificates for some puzzling Cruwys marriages which I had been unable to place. Outline details of the marriages are provided below:

- 1846 The Register Office, Shrewsbury, Shropshire: Thomas Cruwys, widower, tailor, son of Thomas Cruwys, innkeeper, and Hannah Walton, spinster, daughter of Corbet Walton, tailor

- 1853 The Parish Church, Chatham, Kent: Henry Cruwys, Private 53rd, son of William Cruwys, dyer, and Sarah Maile, daughter of Edward Maile, shoemaker

- 1860 Register Office, Stoke Damerel: Henry Cruwys, widower, sergeant in ??? Regiment, son of William Cruwys, master dyer of Wellington, Shropshire, and Ruth Badger, widow and licensed victualler, daughter of William Hugoe [?]

Although the marriages took place in different parts of the country it turns out that all three marriages relate to the Cruwys tree from Shrewsbury in Shropshire which I wrote about in an earlier posting.

The 1846 marriage certificate of Thomas Cruwys is particularly useful as it gives us the name of his father, though I am still not as yet able to link him into one of the other Cruwys trees. In the 1841 census Thomas was living in Shrewsbury with his presumed wife Hannah and three children. It would therefore appear that both of Thomas's wives shared the same Christian name. However, I have not been able to find any record of the death of the first Hannah in the GRO indexes. Thomas died in 1848 but I cannot find his widow Hannah in any of the subsequent censuses, and there does not appear to be a matching death registration on Free BMD.

The Henry Cruwys who features in the other two certificates I purchased is, I believe, the grandson of Thomas and Hannah Cruwys of Shrewsbury. Henry was born on 7th November 1833 in St Chad, Shrewsbury, and was the son of William Cruwys (1809-1870) and his wife Elizabeth. William was born c.1809 in Shrewsbury, but I have been unable to find a record of his baptism to confirm his parentage. Henry Cruwys and his second wife Ruth Badger née Hugoe can be found in the 1861 census in St Chad, Shrewsbury, hiding under the mistranscription of Crump. Henry was a soldier, but I cannot read the name of his regiment. Henry and Ruth then seem to disappear from the records. I can find no trace of them in any of the subsequent censuses and there is no record of their deaths in the GRO indexes.

This Shrewsbury line is particularly problematic and I would be very pleased to hear from anyone researching this tree or any of the other associated surnames.

© Debbie Kennett 2010

Three more marriage certificates

I've received a further three certificates this week from three separate Guild marriage challenges. Outline details of all the certificates are provided below.

Faversham District

 - 1931 Saints Peter and Paul, Ospringe, Kent: Frederick Harry Cruse, window cleaner, son of Harry Cruse, gentleman, and Doris Lilian Friday, daughter of George Friday, labourer. [Kenton tree from Devon]

St George's Hanover Square Registration District

 - 1851 St George's Hanover Square: Catherine Russell Cruise, daughter of Robert Russell Cruise, esquire, and Thomas Wallace, esquire, son of Thomas Wallace, clerk

West Derby Registration District

- St Mary Edge Hill: 1862 Susannah Cruse, daughter of George Cruse (deceased), and William Pritchard, commercial traveller, son of James Pritchard, commercial traveller.

Only the Faversham marriage can currently be allocated to a specific tree. If anyone would like copies of these certificates do get in touch.

Thanks to Shelagh Mason for the Faversham certificate, Sian Plant for the St George's Hanover Square certificate and Susan Atkins for the West Derby certificate. There should be more certificates to come from West Derby in due course but the Liverpool Record Office is going to close shortly for two and a half years for refurbishment so the second phase of the West Derby Marriage Challenge has been suspended.

Miscellaneous marriages

I've now just about caught up on all the marriage certificates I've received in recent months from the various Guild Marriage Challenges. I've provided an outline below of the certificate details. If you are interested in any of these marriages do get in touch.

Brighton Marriage Challenge
- 1899 St Peter's Church, Brighton: Frank Cruse, drayman, son of William Cruse, labourer, and Alice Chamberlain, daughter of George Chamberlain, labourer (Imber tree).

As a bonus from this Marriage Challenge a Cruse was also sighted as a witness at another Brighton wedding. On 7th June 1903 Walter Cruse was one of the witnesses at the wedding of Percival William Moody, a watchmaker's assistant, and Harriet Ellen Killick. Walter was born in 1870 in New Shoreham, Sussex, and was the son of Richard Cruse and Mary Jane White. Walter is descended from the Sussex Cruse line from Chailey who, to my knowledge, are completely unrelated to the Imber Cruses from Wiltshire.  Walter Cruse married in the June quarter of 1904 in the Brighton Registration District but unfortunately the marriage wasn't found in the Marriage Challenge, probably because the marriage took place in a Register Office.

Derby Marriage Challenge
- 1841 St Werburgh, Derby: William Crewes, currier [carrier?], son of William Crewes, shoemaker, and Mary Ann Matthews, widow, daughter of Walter Gibson, currier [carrier].

Faversham
- 1901 St Mary Magdalene, Davington, near Faversham: Harry Cruse, sapper, son of John Pester Cruse, smith, and Harriet Hunt, daughter of Springfield Hunt, shepherd. [Note: In the 1901 census Harry Cruse, 28, was a sapper with the Royal Engineers based at Sheerness Garrison in Sheerness, Kent.]

- 1924 St Mary of Charity, Faversham: Frances Minnie Cruse, domestic servant, daughter of Harry Cruse, locomotion engineer, and Harry Robert Green, electrician on the Southern Railway, son of Herbert James Green, electrician on the Southern Railway.

- 1952 St Mary of Charity, Faversham: Doris May Cruse and Keith Frank Brooks.

- 1955 St Mary of Charity, Faversham: Olive Joan Cruse and John Henry Foulcer.

The four Faversham certificates all relate to the Kenton tree from Devon. The Harry Cruse who married Harriet Hunt in 1901 was born in Kenton in 1871, the son of John Pester Cruse, a blacksmith, and Fanny Sheppard. This tree can be traced back to Samuel Cruse and Mary Discombe who married on 12th December 1782 in Kenton.

Guildford Marriage Challenge
- 1894 St John, Busbridge: Francis Graham Cruse, gentleman, son of Francis Cruse, gentleman clerk in holy orders and Alice Ramsay Adelaide Sladen, daughter of Ramsay Cunliffe Sladen, a Lieutenant in the 98th Regiment (Rode tree).

Okehampton Marriage Challenge
- 1893 North Tawton, Devon: George Crews, Metropolitan Police Officer (father's name left blank) and Ellen Setter, daughter of John Setter

- 1896 The Parish Church, Okehampton: Eliza Crews, daughter of John Crews, labourer, and John Tinscott, labourer, son of Edward Tinscott, labourer

Thanks to Colin Ulph for the Brighton certificate, Sue Horsman for the Derby certificate, Shelagh Mason for the Faversham certificates, Sheila Forster for the Guildford certificate, and Barbara Roach for the Okehampton certificates.

St George's Hanover Square marriages

I'm still catching up on my backlog of marriage certificates received through the Guild Marriage Challenges. Guild members Sian Plant and Mary Ghrist bravely offered to search the parish registers in the large St George's Hanover Square Registration District. Many of the London marriages are now available online to Ancestry subscribers but the registers for St George's Hanover Square are held at Westminster City Archives and have not been digitised by Ancestry, so this marriage challenge is particularly welcome. Sian and Mary are still working through the registers but have so far kindly send me two marriages. The details are as follows:

- 1841 St George's Hanover Square: Mary Ann Crews, widow, daughter of Richard Dennis, blockmaker, and Thomas Ruth, servant, son of Robert Gillard Ruth, bricklayer

- 1878 St George's Hanover Square: Frances Helen Cruise, daughter of William Cruise, gentleman, and John Hearney, gentleman, son of William Cruise, gentleman

I do not yet have either of these marriages allocated to a tree. If you are researching either of these lines do get in touch.

To find out more about St Georges Hanover Square visit their official website. There is a whole section devoted to the history of the church.

West Brom Marriage Challenge

I've received details of two Cruwys marriages from Guild Member Karen Burnell who recently undertook a Guild Marriage Challenge for the Registration District of West Bromwich. Both marriages relate to the Wiveliscombe/Oakford Cruwys tree. The details are as follows:

- 1899 St James, Handsworth, Staffordshire: John Alfred Cruwys, carpenter, son of James Cruwys, contractor, and Mary Jane Cooper, daughter of John Cooper, gardener.

- 1902 St James, Handsworth, Staffordshire: Frank Herbert Cruwys, clerk, son of James Cruwys, contractor, and Ada Mary Rowley, daughter of Benjamin Rowley, a miller.

John Alfred Cruwys (1870-1949) and Frank Herbert Cruwys (1878-1952) are the sons of James Cruwys and Fanny Cruwys Farmer. James and Fanny were first cousins. James was the representative for the railway contractor Joseph Firbank who was involved in the construction of many of the new railway lines which were built in the second half of the nineteenth century, including the Midland mainline railway.

I've sent copies of the certificates to my two contacts who are researching this line. If anyone else would like a copy do get in touch.

An Axminster District marriage certificate

I have received a marriage certificate from Guild member Des Gander resulting from his recent Axminster Marriage Challenge. The certificate details are as follows:

- 1899 The Parish Church, Seaton and Beer: James Cruse, a valet, son of Francis Cruse, and Harriet Ida Tolman, daughter of William Henry Tolman, a tailor.

James Cruse was born in 1865 in Wellington, Somerset, and is the son of Francis Cruse and Martha Stradling. This was his second marriage. His first marriage took place in the December quarter of 1891 in the Bedminster Registration District though I don't yet have confirmation of the name of his first wife and her death. James's line can be traced back to Thomas Cruse (b.1797 Sampford Arundel, Somerset) and Mary Down who married c.1828.

Portsea marriages

Before Christmas Guild member Michael Bliss kindly sent me the details of two marriages he found in the Portsea Marriage Challenge. I have put outline details below:

- 1865 St Mary's, Portsea: James Cruse, carpenter, son of Jacob Cruse, gardener, and Harriet Dye, widow, daughter of William Gooch, a gardener. (Cruses of Imber, Wiltshire)

- 1868 St Thomas, Portsmouth: Mary Cruse née Blood, widow, daughter of Thomas Blood, a labourer, and John Waller, Corporal in the 35th Regiment, son of Samuel Waller, a tailor.

The James Cruse who married Harriet Dye in 1865 is the son of Jacob Cruse and Lydia Meaden. Jacob and Thomas are descended from the Cruses of Imber, Wiltshire. I wrote about this line back in September 2008. We have not yet located a descendant from the Imber Cruses to take part in the DNA Project. A sponsored test is available if an appropriate candidate can be found. If you know of anyone do get in touch. It would be interesting to find out if the Imber Cruses are related to the two other Wiltshire lines which have already been tested - the Ogbourne St George line and the Scruses of Orcheston St George, both of whom we now know are not related on the direct male line.

I have no further information at present on Mary Cruse née Blood.

I have been getting somewhat behind with the certificates received from the various Guild Marriage Challenges, and will be posting further details of a number of other marriages in the next week or so. Watch this space!

Crowse of Worcestershire

Guild member Ian Preece has very kindly found two CROWSE marriages for me in his recent Marriage Challenge for the Upton on Severn Registration District. Both marriages took place in Worcestershire. The details are as follows:

- 1846 The Parish Church, Eldersfield: John Crowse, yeoman, son of William Crowse, yeoman, and Elizabeth Shipton, daughter of Thomas Shipton, yeoman

- 1866 The Parish Church, Great Malvern: Fanny Augusta Crowse, daughter of John Crowse, a miller, and Joseph Parry, farmer, son of John Crowse, miller.

CROWSE is a rare variant spelling which I have not yet had a chance to research. There are only a handful of occurrences of the name in the English and Welsh birth, marriage and death indexes, and just a few isolated occurrences of the surname in America and Canada. Worcestershire is some distance from the Cruwys epicentre in North Devon, and it is not yet known if the two surnames are related. I would be very pleased to hear from anyone researching the CROWSE surname.

Honiton District marriage certificates

I've received a lovely collection of eight faux marriage certificates from Guild Member Des Gander as a result of his Marriage Challenge for the Honiton Registration District in Devon. The Cruwys marriages all relate to the Mariansleigh tree, and I have passed on copies to the relevant researchers.

Rather fortuitously Jan Ennis in New Zealand has just been in touch with me about the line of James Cruse and Georgina Crute whose marriage certificate was included in the collection. I've been working with Jan on her tree over the last few days, and was able to send her a copy of the certificate. Jan's line goes back to James Cruse and Maria Shepherd who married in 1830 in Burlescombe, Devon. We've not yet been able to find a baptism for James. He was born c. 1807 either in Devon or Somerset. In the 1851 census his place of birth is given as Milverton, Somerset, but in the 1861 census his birth place is shown as Crediton, Devon. By 1871 James Cruse and Georgina Crute had settled in Barking in Essex.

Outline details of the certificates are provided below. Copies can be provided on request.

- 1858 The Parish Church, Honiton: James Cruse, blacksmith, son of James Cruse, blacksmith, and Georgina Crute, daughter of John Croot, shoemaker. (James Cruse and Maria Shepherd line)

- 1864 The Parish Church, Sidmouth: Thomas John Pincombe Crews (widower), cabinet maker, son of Joseph Crews (deceased), baker and Eliza Ann Cowd, daughter of William Cowd, tailor

- 1869 The Parish Church, Honiton: Robert Eastmond Cruwys, farmer, son of Robert Cruwys, farmer, and Frances Henrietta Pinney, daughter of John George Pinney, surveyor. (Mariansleigh tree)

- 1873 The Parish Church, Honiton: William Cruse, servant, son of John Cruse, labourer, and Jane Radford, daughter of John Radford, quarry man.

- 1899 The Parish Church, Escot: Reginald Levieux Daniel Cruwys, son of Robert Eastmond Cruwys, farmer, and Bessie Annie Baker, daughter of Jesse Thomas Ward Baker, farmer. (Mariansleigh tree)

- 1903 The Parish Church, Feniton: Ada Fanny Cruwys, daughter of John Steer Cruwys, retired farmer, and Willie Douglas Stevens, a railway clerk from Dorchester, the son of Joseph Stevens, an innkeeper. (Mariansleigh tree)

- 1901 The Parish Church, Payhembury: Kate Maria Pinney Cruwys, daughter of Robert Eastmond Cruwys, and Frank Griffin, farmer, son of Thomas Griffin (deceased), farmer. (Mariansleigh tree)

- 1905 The Parish Church, Feniton: Sophie Kitty Mary Cruwys, daughter of John Steer Cruwys, retired grocer, and William Edmund Berry, photographer, son of George James Berry, schoolmaster. (Mariansleigh tree)

Dorchester district marriage certificates

I have received two "faux" marriage certificates from Guild member Mary Brinson which she found for me in her recent Dorchester Marriage Challenge. The details are as follows:

- 1855 Melbury Bubb, Dorset: Maria Cruse, daughter of James Cruse, blacksmith, and James Cooper, railroad labourer, son of James Cooper, labourer.

- 1882 Christ Church, West Fordington, Dorset: Robert Edwin Cruse, guard, son of Jacob Cruse, market gardener, and Elizabeth Louisa Hawkins, daughter of James Hawkins, stonemason (Imber Cruse tree of Wiltshire).

I did not previously have Maria Cruse in a tree in my database, but after some preliminary research it appears that she is the daughter of James Cruse and Maria Shepherd who married on 12th April 1830 in Burlescombe, Devon. Maria's father James Cruse was born about 1807 in Milverton in Somerset. The Milverton parish registers have been transcribed by David Cheek and made available online. There is however no sign of James's baptism so I presume he was baptised in another nearby parish instead. As always, if either of these certificates is of interest please get in touch.