Hurstpierpoint Marriages

[Phoenix]

I am trying to find the image on Family Search for the marriage of Thomas Pierce to Mary Ashfold in 1776.

The BT version appears on image 864 of 876 on Film # 004428423

When I click on the parish register link, it says the image is unavailable.

It looks as if the old registers were rebound. Either, the pages for the marriages (Sussex seems not to have bothered with the expense of a separate printed volume) were omitted - though the legend says they should be there - or FS didn't film blank pages and forgot to check in the middle.

I want to see whether there is any additional information about the groom, details of witnesses etc.

Does anyone know anything about this parish? If the worst comes to the worst, I can contact the Record Office.

[kiterunner]

There is a transcription CD or download available from the Sussex Family History Group for £7:
https://sfhg.uk/shop/parish-records-indexes/parish-register-transcriptions/hurstpierpoint-parish-register

But of course you don't know whether they have transcribed each entry in full.

[Phoenix]

I once spent several hours doing look ups on that - I do not remember the info being very detailed, though in those days we leapt upon anything we could get!

I can't think why the images are unavailable if they used them as the basis of the index? It's happening in several parishes.

[kiterunner]

I've had a look through some parts of the parish register images on FamilySearch but I found baptisms for 1776-1812, burials for 1776-1812 and then it went straight on to marriages from the 19th century. I couldn't find the marriages for 1776. Some of the pages that are included seem to be pretty badly damaged.

[Phoenix]

So I'm not going mad.

Thank you, Kite. It's supposed to be a composite register, including marriages, but it doesn't appear to do so.

And yes, those registers weren't well stored.

[Phoenix]

And no gaps according to the RO.

[Sussex Maid]

I have just checked on my copy of The Sussex Marriage Index CD and there is no further information just "30 June 1776 Mary Ashfold/Thomas Pierce".
Re: Family Search image 864 of 876 - Hurstpierpoint BT's; the image is available to view but the information is exactly the same as is on the CD.

[Phoenix]

Thank you for checking, Sussex Maid. I thought that was the case, but it's over thirty years since I used that database.

[Sussex Maid]

What is it you are looking for? I have access to the SFHG Data Archive (baptisms/burials) and don't mind doing lookups

[Phoenix]

For the last forty years, I have been trying to work out the parents of Charles Pierce, bp 1788 in Cowfold, son of Thomas and Mary.

There were THREE Thomas Pierces who married a Mary in Cowfold, but they were all ineligible as too early or too late.

I have a DNA match with a descendant of Jane Pierce bp 1776, which makes me think that the 1776 marriage must be the right one, but it would be nice to see if it helpfully said "of Cowfold" or had relevant witnesses.

I do have another question which I would be grateful for help on, still on the Pierces, but I need to marshal my facts first. The last time I looked at the records for this, they were still held in West Street!

[Sussex Maid]

I really don’t think I can add very much to what you already have on the “Take One 4xGreat-Grandparent thread”, but just to confirm that you were aware of, and had discounted, the baptism at West Grinstead on 24 March 1782 of Charles Pearce the son of Elizabeth Pearce – only mentioning this one because Charles is ‘of West Grinstead’ when he marries Ann Richardson at Cowfold on 20 April 1814.

Of the two Thomas Pierce x Mary marriages at Cowfold in the 1760’s, one ‘Mary Pierce wife of Thomas’ was buried at Cowfold on 8th December 1772 (image 135 of 602 film 004428115), but the parish register has no further information.
There are also 2 x burials at Cowfold for a “Mary Peirce widow” –
23 Aug 1807 (image 188 of 602 film 004428115) and
09 Dec 1810 (image 189 of 602 same film).
I’m not making any progress in ‘killing off’ any of the above Thomas Pierce/Pearce.

[Phoenix]

Thank you, Sussex Maid. Every little helps - particularly when it's written down.

The Mary buried 1807 left a will and there are death duty records. She was the widow of William and had sons Henry and William and several daughters. She is referred to as "late of Ashurst"