1737 marriage question

[Merry]

BK6 updated from this thread

In 2003 I asked Bedford County Library about this IGI marriage:

WM MAYNARD Pedigree
Male Family
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Marriages:
Spouse: ELIZ CRAWLEY Family
Marriage: 09 OCT 1737 Saint John, Bedford, Bedford, England
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Messages: Extracted marriage record for locality listed in the record.

The Local Studies Librarian replied stating the following:

"Re IGI marriage entries for William Maynard and Elizabeth Crawley, 9 Oct 1737, at St. John's Church (banns also at Elstow). The only other information given is that both Elizabeth and William were from Shillington."

My rather belated question is, if both parties were from Shillington and they married at St John's Bedford (about 10 miles away), why would the banns be read at Elstow (close to Bedofrd, but 8 miles from Shillington) rather than at Shillington?

[Nell]

Merry

I guess you could ask her what she meant. Or if you are patient I can check the entry when I can get up to Bedford which won't be for at least a month.

[Nell]

My question is - if they lived in Shillington why did they marry in Bedford? It's not the nearest large town.

[Merry]

My question is - if they lived in Shillington why did they marry in Bedford? It's not the nearest large town.

*Consults map*. Where would you say is nearer? (My geographical knowledge of this area is rubbish considering I've been studying this family for well over ten years!)

They may well have been non-con, but not rich enough to go to London!

[HarrysMum]

Merry..

Do you have any children for them?

****hope Merry realises I have grandie ehre who make "need" my attention at any minute****

[Merry]

But I need attention as well!! *glares at grandie*

I have seven children for them, but don't have baptisms for any of them :D:

Susannah
Nathan b abt 1741
Thomas
William
Mary
David b 1748 Kempston, Beds
Elizabeth

[Uncle John]

Was there a CofE church in Shillington? It's very spread out, more a collection of hamlets and farms, even today. Nell is perhaps hinting that Hitchin or Luton may be nearer, but perhaps they were more familiar with Bedford.

[Merry]

The bride's father was probably living in Hitchin at this time, but he may have been born in Shillington. That was a long time earlier though (obviously!)

[HarrysMum]

I can't see anything....

Saying they were both from Shillington (and my geography of England is worse than Merry's) only means they lived there for a while ,doesn't it???

Could Elizabeth have been born in Bedford and had family there???

I've been surprised at how far some of my lot went to marry and have children and they were ag labs who signed with an 'X'.........lol

[Merry]

I thought the banns had to be read in the place you lived, so if they lived at Shillington why have the banns read at Elstow?

[Uncle John]

My postulation that there was no CofE church there.

[Merry]

There was - St Mary's. Genuki says:

The church, dedicated to St. Mary, has a tower, rebuilt, in 1750, and five bells. In the church are two brasses bearing date 1400. The parochial charities produce about £12 per annum.

Was it only Hardwick's marriage act that stipulated where the banns should be read?

[Nell]

I was thinking of either Hitchin or Luton as being nearer. Of course this doesn't explain why they didn't marry in Shillington if they were both from there, or Elstow. If they wanted to marry quietly why not by licence instead of banns?

[Phoenix]

A banns book survives from 1737???!!!

Banns are usually only recorded from 1754.

Any idea what class they were? Farmers' children might well have been brushing up survival skills, temporarily living in Elstow, but saying they were from Shillington (as presumably do modern kids at Uni). Alternately, they could have been sojourners at Elstow so they could get close enough to Bedford to marry. Trouble is, pre 1754 rules were different - I can't remember whether it mattered then where you had the banns read.

[Merry]

When the archivist said the banns were read at Elstow, that would be because I enquired as to where the marriage was celebrated, as the IGI has more than one version of it - at St John's and at Elstow, so something must survive for the IGI record to exist.

William Maynard was a yeoman. I think his generation were non con but the following gen drifted back to the C of E when they lost their land due to the enclosures act. Certainly, the main beneficiary of William Maynard's will was an ag lab by the time he died.