Capel St Mary

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In progress from 1538, transcribed by Helen Barrell. See also FreeREG.

See also the neighbouring parish of Little Wenham, which shared the same vicar and families appear in both parishes’s registers.

Meet the people of Capel St Mary: notes from the parish register.

See memorial inscriptions inside church and surnames in churchyard from The East Anglian.

Notes

  • Regnal years: the earliest register begins in 1538 and uses regnal years. This gets very confusing as some entries appear to be in the wrong year, based on the sequence of records. It becomes even more confusing after Mary I marries Philip of Spain, as it switches from her regnal year (starting 6th July) to his (starting 25th July). I’ve explained in the notes what’s going on.
  • Baptisms – missing or confusing years: none recorded for Henry VIII’s 38th regnal year (22 April 1546 to 28 Jan 1546/7). There may have been none, or they may have been missed out, or entered under the wrong year. After Edward VI’s death on 6th July 1553, Lady Jane Grey was briefly queen, but the register states “rege vacanto” for two baptisms in July following, until Mary I’s name appears. No baptisms recorded during Elizabeth I’s second regnal year (17 Nov 1559-16 Nov 1560). No baptisms recorded 1583. One only 1586, none 1587 or 1588. One only 1589 (Feb 1589/90). None 1590 or 1591. None 1593. One only 1594. None 1595, 1596, or 1598. Only 6 in 1599 with a gap after October – were some missed Nov-March? None 1606. Baptisms are numbered consecutively year by year from 1592. Dates of births are recorded with almost all baptisms for twenty years from late 1645 to late 1665, and there is no “Commonwealth gap”. Only one baptism recorded 1749, and 1752.
  • Marriages – missing years: oldest part of the register, from 1538: marriages are fairly consistent with a few years where no marriages were recorded, presumably because they didn’t take place. But there is an obvious gap where the 29th year of Elizabeth I’s reign is entered (which began 17th Nov 1586), but no marriages are entered, and the next which appear are from 1592. Then there are gaps in the register, as if someone meant to write the marriages up but never did – nothing 1593-1596, none 1598.
  • Burials – missing years: none recorded 1578, 1583. Only one 1586. None 1587-1596. None 1598, 1604. Only two 1606. None 1607. Apparently no “Commonwealth gap”.

Baptisms

Burials

Marriages

1538-1753

1754-1812

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