Boxted St Peter’s

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A photograph of St Peter's church, a small church made from flint, stone and brick.
Boxted St Peter’s

Transcribed by Helen Barrell. Also available at FreeREG. See scanned images of the original parish registers at ERO’s Essex Archives Online.

Notes

  • Earliest register was begun in 1559, but on the inside front cover and flyleaf there’s entries for 1673 and 1674.
  • Only one entry, without full date, for 1584, with the note, “All the chilldren that were borne between Richard Debenham [1584] and Margret Mott [14 Apr 1585] by the space of one whole yere were left out by myne absence.” Marriages have the same gap: “All that were maryed betwen Willm. Shinglewood [4 Nov 1583] and Edward How [1585 – full date not given] the sonne of Willm How were lefte out of the Regester.”
  • The vicar was unwell in April 1600, so on 6th April, “Marye daughter of John Shelldrake was baptized at Langham for that I was sicke.” And on 10th April, slightly more unusually… “Edward son of Thomas Gylder was baptized in the parloure at the vicardige for that I was sicke.”
  • On 13th November 1610, Christophere Chambers was buried: “a boy at Boxsted haulle beinge drowned in the moate ther.”
  • Baptisms: No baptisms 1617-1643, except for three in 1623 in poor handwriting. Between 1644 and 1660 there are 28 baptisms. On 15th November 1662, seventeen older children were baptised on the same day, who are presumably among those missed in the years where there’s a paucity of baptisms in the register (D/P 155/1/1). Six baptisms 1669-1680 for the Goodall family in the register D/P 155/1/2. Only five baptisms for 1692 and only four for 1694 – presumably some missing as around that time as many as twenty baptisms or more per year isn’t unusual. Only two baptisms in 1705, then a gap until 1720. The only births/baptisms between 1705-1719 are for a few families (Wallis 1701-1708, Blythe 1716-1724, Gooddall 1706-1723)
  • Burials: No burials 1617-1654. One burial 1655, three 1656, two 1657, one 1660, two 1661, three 1662, two 1668. None 1670-1672. Very few 1673-6. Only four burials recorded in 1687 – presumably some missing. Five burials in 1705, then a gap until 1720. Perhaps some burials missing for the end of 1740 – no burials August 1740-March 1740/1.
  • The Protestation Return appears in the register. The date “July 1643” has been written at the top of the page, but normally these were conducted in 1642. The names of 131 men over the age of 18 have been recorded, some marking and others signing their names. The Returns are an oath of allegiance “to live and die for the true Protestant religion, the liberties and rights of subjects and the privilege of Parliaments.”
  • Baptism of Francis of Francis and Martha Smyth on 15th March 1759: “This child was the son of a travelling chair Bottomer who was delivered of Him in a Hog’s sty at Pond House about 4 o’clock in a morning. & to the Praise of the People be it spoken, they supply’d her with every thing necessary.”
  • Note that the second register starts with baptisms for 1676, but it includes six baptisms 1669-1680 of children of the Goodall family. Some baptisms apparently missing from the end of 1680/1, and only three baptisms for 1681 and 1681/2.
  • Gap in the register. Nothing for 1696 onwards until 1704, apart from four baptisms for the children of William and Susan Wallis between 1701-7.
  • Baptism on 29th January 1762 of Elisabeth, daughter of Edward and Elisabeth Beardmore. “This child was sick, the mother a vagrant going to her Home; Windham, in Norfolk.”
  • In October 1769, three boys baptised in Boxted were named Thomas Appleby – one the son of Thomas and Ann, another the son of William and Mary, and the third the son of Thomas and Elizabeth. I sometimes think people did this deliberately to fox their nosy descendants (or genealogists as we like to call ourselves).
  • “Return of Population in the Parish of Boxted May 27th 1811: Males 282, Females 318, Total 600.” (from the 1760-July 1813 baptisms and burials register) The same register also contains a sermon or a note which appears to be from an outgoing vicar to the incoming.

Baptisms

Burials

Marriages

1559-1616, 1662-72, 1676

1676-93, 1704, 1721

1754-1812

Miscellaneous