Meet the people of Capel St Mary

Notes in the Capel St Mary register shine a light on the lives of people who lived there, or just passed through, many years ago.

People from outside Capel St Mary

• On 28 Nov 1574, Robert son of John Pett “de Stepne juxta London” (Stepney in Middlesex) was baptised at Capel St Mary.
• Anna, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Gerard from London, was baptised here in 1662.
• Thomas, the son of Robert and Mary Battie from Gravesend, was baptised in Capel St Mary in 1691, “being accidentally delivered here.”
• Nicholas son of William Arnolde “de bromli pva” (Little Bromley in Essex) was buried here in 1576.
• Robert Welham “de longstratton in Com. Norff” (Long Stratton in Norfolk) was buried here in 1580.
• Susan Catteren, a vagrant from Colchester, was died in Capel St Mary on 21st July 1649 and was buried there on the same day.
• James Cook of Langham, died and buried 28th Oct 1658.
• Elizabeth, the daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Dixon of St Martin’s-in-the-Fields in London, was baptised in Capel St Mary on 4th November 1707, having been “delivered here by accident.”
• Manasieh, “the infant son of a Poore Palatine”, was buried here on 21st Dec 1709. The Palatine may well refer to Cheshire, as there are several people from Cheshire in north-east Essex at the time.
• Several adults from St Peter’s, Ipswich, were baptised here in the 1740s: John Gunner, a 25-year-old Quaker in 1741, and three possible siblings from the Brook family in 1743: Thomas and Elizabeth Brook, and Ann wife of John Gorman (her maiden name was Brook).

Occupations and otherwise

• A hermit: on 1 January 1543/4, John Alden was buried in Capel St Mary. The register tells us that he was a hermit!

Unfortunate deaths

• Mrs Harrison died at the White Horse on 9th April 1651.
• John Smith drowned on 27th March 1655.
• Henry Thorne, “who was accidentally shot to death by his intimate friend John Blane”, was buried in Capel St Mary on 28th November 1684.
• William and Ann Rolfe were buried on 1st Oct 1737. They “were drowned at Mason’s bridge Sept. 29. 1737.” Mason’s Bridge is in Layham.
• On 17th March 1738/9, there was the burial of “A lad whose name was unknown he dying in a Barn after having travelled all day in the wet.”
• On 11th May 1749, “A travelling man who died on the Road his name unknown” was buried.
• Elizabeth, the wife of Isaac Chisnal, was buried on 13th March 1753, having been “burnt to Death by accident” on three days earlier.

An epidemic?

There are usually around four to ten burials a year around the middle of the 1600s, but in 1653, 18 people were buried. Ten of those buried died in February 1653/4, which suggests a contagious disease spread through the parish. Then in 1658 there are 16 burials, and 15 in 1659, mostly in the summers.

Married or not?

• John, son of Thomas Stone and “Elizabeth his wife” was baptised in Capel St Mary on 29th May 1705. A note tells us “This John as appeared afterwards was a base child borne of sd Eliz. by the sd. Stone.” So it seems that Thomas and Elizabeth pretended to be married for the baptism of their son, but in fact, weren’t.

A foundling, found

• On the 3 November 1731, a baby was baptised in Capel St Mary: “Mary Capel, an infant who was found under the Overseers window at about two a clock in the morning & whose parents are unknown.” Then another note, in the same handwriting, follows: “This infant was afterward found out to be the Daughter of Elizabeth wife of Aaron Dunstal of Brightlandsea in Essex.” See my blog post.