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Leamington Hastings Parish Records
The parish records of Leamington Hastings are available at the Warwickshire County Record Office and indexed, photographic copies have been made available online via Ancestry and FindMyPast (subscriptions needed to view).
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Curiously, the authoritative publication on parish registers, The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers, gives the commencement date of the parish register as 1565. However, the photographs of the Parish Register pages clearly show it begins in 1559.
Initially, all entries are recorded together with a neat column of initials stating whether the event was a 'Baptisatus/Baptisata' (Baptism), 'Nupti' (Marriage), or 'Sepultis/Sepulta' (Burial). There was an attempt from 24th July 1619 to separate the three types of records, though this only lasted until 1630. From 1620 to 1638 only a handful of individuals registered births and burials at the church at all. From 1632 to 1666, baptisms and burials were once again recorded together. Often from the start of the English Civil War until the end of the Interregnum (1642-1660), parish records can be spotty. Not so in Leamington Hastings!
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Marriages become extremely sparse between 1622 and 1685 (with the exception of 1629). Maybe a church or clergyman in an adjacent parish was more attractive for a marriage ceremony. Maybe Christian marriages went out of fashion in this area in that period. From 1666 onwards, records are once again split by type with baptisms recorded until 1702, marriages until 1704 and burials until 1705. A new book was started in 1705 for baptisms (1705-1750), marriages (1705-1754), and burials (1705-1753) and subsequent books continue.
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The astute will have noticed a gap in the baptism records between 1702 and 1705. Could it be that simply no baptisms took place at the church in this period? It was during this period that I expected baptisms here from my own ancestral family. Another look at the photograph of the book shows what appears to be the page following the 5th July1702 baptism of Jane Turner to have been cut out, with the next page beginning the 1666 burials. However, there is no evidence of partial entries written on what remains of the cut page.
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We also know, from notes in the register, that the decision to continue writing the 1666 burials 'about 18 leaves after' the original register was split was made in 1666, that subsequently those pages were appended to the 1665 burials, and that subsequently to that they were bound after the 1666-1702 baptisms as they are now.
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I postulate that during the second re-binding, a final leaf for baptisms was affixed which has since become detached from the book. Perhaps it resides as a loose leaf amongst the many un-digitised pages extant in the Leamington Hastings Parish Chest (collection 00131 at the Warwickshire County Record Office), or perhaps it is lost.
Rather than head to Warwick and search the records for the missing leaf, I turned instead to the alternate source for parish records - the Bishops' Transcripts. These are supposedly copied out annually by the Bishop's representative and held centrally at the diocese. It is possible therefore that copies of the 1702-1704 baptisms were made before this theoretical additional 'leaf' was lost.
As the transcripts are direct copies of information, they are not often digitised by the usual genealogy websites. Indeed the transcripts for Leamington Hastings have not been. Warwickshire parishes were divided between the Archdeaconry of Lichfield & Coventry and the Archdeaconry of Worcester, with Leamington Hastings falling under the former. At that time, the see was at Lichfield, which is where the Bishops' Transcripts would have been held. As Lichfield itself is in the county of Staffordshire, the pertinent record office for the diocese archives is the Staffordshire Record Office in Stafford - 53 miles away from Leamington Hastings and on the opposite side of the West Midlands conurbation.
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I took a trip to Staffordshire Record Office to review the Bishops' Transcripts myself and confirm whether or not there were records missing from the Parish Register. My theory was supported by the existence in the transcripts of 22 additional baptisms from August 1702 to January 1704/5. Although, sadly my ancestors were not present (I subsequently found my 7GGs' 1704 marriage at an adjacent parish), I transcribed the information for others and present it below in the hope that it may help fellow genealogists in the future.
Baptism
30 Aug 1702
Birth
27 Aug 1702
Name
Henry Hewitt
Father
Henry Hewitt
Transcription
August 1702 - Henry Son of Henry Hewit Born ye 27th Bapt ye 30th of August
Comments
-
Baptism
30 Aug 1702
Birth
28 Aug 1702
Name
William Burnell
Father
William Burnell
Transcription
August 1702 - Will Son of William Burnell Born ye 28th Bapt ye 30th of August
Comments
-
Baptism
4 Oct 1702
Birth
-
Name
John Gibbins
Father
Edward Gibbins
Transcription
October 1702 - John Son of Edward Gibbins Bapt ye 4th of Octo
Comments
-
Baptism
4 Oct 1702
Birth
8 Sep 1702
Name
William Cleaver
Father
John Cleaver
Transcription
October 1702 - Will Son of John Cleavre Born ye 8th Bapt ye 4th of Oct
Comments
'Born ye 8th', assumption of September.
Baptism
6 Dec 1702
Birth
-
Name
John Dewes
Father
Richard Dewes
Transcription
December 1702 - John Son of Richard Dewes p Bapt ye 6th of December
Comments
'p Bapt' = privately baptised
Baptism
6 Dec 1702
Birth
-
Name
Edward Tailor
Father
James Tailor
Transcription
December 1702 - Edward Son of James Tailer Bapt ye 6th of Dec
Comments
-
Baptism
17 Dec 1702
Birth
2 Dec 1702
Name
William Wheler
Father
Sir William Wheler
Transcription
December 1702 - Will Son of Sr William Wheler Born ye 2th p Bapt ye 17th of December
Comments
Recorded in all other places as 'born 1705, Warwickshire' based on presumed age at death. 'p Bapt' = privately baptised
Baptism
11 Apr 1703
Birth
-
Name
Abraham Over
Father
Matthew Over
Transcription
April 1703 - Abraham Son of Mathew Over Bapt ye 11th of April
Comments
-
Baptism
11 Apr 1703
Birth
-
Name
Alice Wilcox
Father
William Wilcox
Transcription
April 1703 - Alice Daughter of William Wilcox Bapt April ye 11th
Comments
-
Baptism
18 Apr 1703
Birth
-
Name
Elizabeth Mason
Father
James Mason
Transcription
April 1703 - Eliz Daughter of James Mason Bapt April ye 18th day
Comments
-
Baptism
18 Apr 1703
Birth
-
Name
William
Father
-
Transcription
April 1703 - Guiliermus Naturalis filius married man Baptizatus fuit decimo octavo Apr
Comments
'Naturalis' refers to a bastard, and here of an unnamed married man. Written in Latin for obfuscation, perhaps.
Baptism
20 Apr 1703
Birth
-
Name
Elizabeth Mason
Father
James Mason
Transcription
April 1703 - Elizabeth daughter of James Mason Bapt April ye 20th Day
Comments
This is a direct copy of the baptism two days prior. As baptisms were almost exclusively performed on Sunday and this one was re-recorded two days later on a Tuesday, it is a curiosity. The obvious standout is the baptism on the same day of the bastard above. Did this overshadow Elizabeth's day? Or was it considered a bad omen?
Baptism
19 Sep 1703
Birth
-
Name
John Ford
Father
John Ford
Transcription
Septem 1703 - John Son of John Fford was Bapt September ye 19th day
Comments
-
Baptism
19 Sep 1703
Birth
-
Name
Joseph Haddon
Father
Henry Haddon
Transcription
Septem 1703 - Joseph Son of Henry Haddon Bapt Sept ye 19 day
Comments
-
Baptism
26 Sep 1703
Birth
-
Name
Elizabeth Elord
Father
Thomas Elord
Transcription
Sept 1703 - Eliz elord daughter of Thom Elord Bapt ye 26 of September
Comments
-
Baptism
26 Dec 1703
Birth
25 Dec 1703
Name
(Daughter)
Father
David Ryland of Broadwell
Transcription
Decemb 1703 - A daughter of David Ryland of Bradwell born Dec ye 25th day
Comments
Baptism date not explicitly stated, but 26 Dec 1703 was the Sunday after the 25th.
Baptism
30 Jan 1704
Birth
-
Name
Christopher Hawton
Father
George Hawton
Transcription
Jan 1703 - Christopher Hawton Son of George Hawton Bapt Jan ye 30th day
Comments
Jan 1703 is the end of 1703, which we would consider 1704.
Baptism
24 Feb 1704
Birth
-
Name
Eleanor Wheler
Father
Sir William Wheler
Transcription
Feb 1703 - Elleanor daughter of Sr William Wheler Bapt Feb ye 24 day
Comments
Feb 1703 is the end of 1703, which we would consider 1704.
Baptism
2 Jul 1704
Birth
-
Name
John Cleaver
Father
John Cleaver
Transcription
July 1704 - John Son of John Cleaver was Bapt July ye 2th day
Comments
-
Baptism
28 Aug 1704
Birth
8 Aug 1704
Name
Richard Worrall
Father
Thomas Worrall
Transcription
August ye 8:1704 - Richard Worral Son of Tho: Worrall Bapt ye 28th day
Comments
-
Baptism
7 Jan 1705
Birth
-
Name
Alice Hinks
Father
John Hinks
Transcription
Jan 1704 - Alice daughter of John Hinks Bapt Jan: ye 7th
Comments
Jan 1704 is the end of 1704, which we would consider 1705.
Baptism
14 Jan 1705
Birth
10 Jan 1705
Name
Richard Twiggar
Father
William Twiggar
Transcription
Jan 1704 - Richard Son of Will Twiggar Born Jan ye :10: Bapt ye 14th day
Comments
Jan 1704 is the end of 1704, which we would consider 1705.