Genealogical Oddities

From the Yorkshire Evening Press, 17th April 1899 -
A Serious Blunder at a Wedding:
A singular report comes from Langport [Somerset]. A marriage party having arrived at the Register Office, the official requested the witnesses to be seated, and addressing the bridegroom and lady who remained standing, solicited from them solemn declarations of knowing no lawful impediment to be joined in matrimony. Having called those present to witness, they took each other as man and wife, it remained only for the bridegroom to slip the ring on the bride's finger, when, much to the astonishment of the registrar, the bridegroom mustered courage to ejaculate in the Somerset vernacular, "This be the young woman I wants to get married to over there," pointing to one of the patient witnesses. It was then discovered that the bridegroom had married his own sister. The marriage ceremony had, of course, to be performed again with the proper principles.
[thanks to David C Poole]



From the Houghton Regis, Beds, PR -
13th September 1761
A very memorable thing - three bastards christened the same time.
Someone adding alongside in a later hand:
Not so remarkable for Bedfordshire.



From The Hull Packet, 2nd August 1833 -
The Choice of a Wife:
I knew a wise old man, who used to advise his young friends to choose wives out of a bunch; for where there were many daughters, he said, they improved each other, and from emulation acquired more accomplishments, knew more, could do more, and were not spoiled by parental fondness, as single children often are.
[spotted in the Cleveland FHS journal of Oct 2011]



Epitaph from Kingsbridge, Devon, dated 1795 -
Here lie I at the chapel door,
Here lie I because I'm poor;
The farther in the more you'll pay,
Here lie I as warm as they.



From the Sir William Turner Hospital Registers, Kirkleatham, Cleveland, 1676-1805 -
William Joudeson died Aug 17 1759 of a mortification in his leg. He lived 3 days after his foot fell off and though in his perfect senses never found out the loss of it till about an hour before his death when he was told of the defect by those who attended him. He wanted a few weeks of 90 years of age.

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