Does anyone know if this is common?

It has been known to happen

Sometimes it appears that way because the first church was a "daughter" church to a main one , examples in Bream and Newland; and what I think we see is the record in the smaller church records and then it being added / duplicated in the main church records.

used so many different churches

remember these churches are very close - Drybrook, Flaxley and Abenhall - it they were living in the extra parocial areas of the Forest they would not have a "parish church" as such. And then you have to bear in mind the evolution of parishes, Drybrook was consecrated much later than the older parishes of Flaxley and Abenhall.

see here for a little more help
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=thread&id=10483#p10519

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

Just this afternoon came across Matthew Jenkins, bapt recorded 26 Jun 1791, Bream and Newland. So yes, not unknown - Slowhands spot on, as usual!

Also noticed I had a couple of baptismal transcriptions I'd transposed as "Slowhands" instead of "Newlands"..........must get out more.

I think my great grandfather Owen Silvanus GRIFFITHS, born 1870 at Green Bottom in the Forest of Dean was baptised twice. Initially at Abenhall, in 1870, then again, with his brother William Thomas (b 1873) on Christmas Day 1873 at Flaxley.

Does anyone know if this is common? Is it possible to tell if either of the baptisms were at home?

Owen's grandparents William GRIFFITHS and Elizabeth EDWARDS were married at Flaxley in 1835 but their children, including Owen's father William Thomas were all baptised at Abenhall.

Owen's parents were William Thomas GRIFFITHS (also known as Thomas) and Mary Sophia WORKMAN, daughter of Thomas Swanton WORKMAN and married Dec 25th 1867 another church, Cinderford St. Johns.

I am interested to know why my ancestors used so many different churches, there also being some records of burials for Drybrook, the forest church.

Juliette

Hi

Do you mean you have transcribed the parish as Slowhands and not as Newlands if so are any of my family 'Jenkins' transcribed as Slowhands.

Our database does not have a lookup called Slowhands.

Regards

Tony Jenkins