Parish records on Ancestry (General)

by JaneyH , Tunbridge Wells, Kent, Monday, February 16, 2015, 14:10 (3569 days ago) @ dink999

Aside from now having records for all of Gloucestershire rather than just the FOD, the biggest difference for me has been the comments written in the margin of the registers.

These provide useful additional information that the mere facts and figures don't, and also give a fascinating insight into people's lives. I've been looking at the Westbury-on-Severn burial registers over the weekend and there are comments on almost every page, variously explaining the cause of death, how the deceased was related to others in the area, and a few cases where people were buried in the churchyard by an independent minister, not the vicar.

Here are a few I've noted down:

18 June 1893, Ernest Bowrey "killed by a flash of lightning whilst at his work"

4 November 1897, Jane Jackson "wife of Thomas Jackson, the blind man"

8 January 1898, unknown man "he was found drowned in the river on Sunday Jan 2nd at Bollon (sp?) having apparently been in the water about a month or more. Supposed to be one Malpass of Gloucester."

16 July 1896, Charles Perks "killed by falling under a horse-rake. This happened on the road at Lower Ley."

20 January 1893, John Bellamy "who for many years has travelled the country with architectural models made of cork, and is said to have been the oldest showman in England".

This last one probably deserves a discussion thread if its own!