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CHURCH REGISTERS.

Old Church registers are ever a source of interest and those belonging to Feltwell are no exception. At the Rector's request I have been tracing in the registers the pedigree of an American whose home is at Dallas in Texas, but whose forefathers lived at Feltwell; and in doing so have met with several entries which can only be described as unusual. Before the year 1813 there were no printed registers for entries of Baptism and Burial and the parson, in writing them up, seems to have expressed his thoughts freely. Here are one or two entries made during the 18th century, i.e., A.D. 1700-1800. "John the son of the Base Woman Eliz. C- was named Nov. 5th and buried Dec. 1st, 1755." A later entry says "Robert the son of the Base Woman Elizabeth S- was publickly baptised 8th Oct. 1760." Named and Publickly Baptized refers to Private Baptism and to Christening when the child is received into the Church. The word " Old," so commonly applied in Norfolk to things and to people, seems to have found its way into the Feltwell Church Registers. William Pooly, buried in 1747, is described as "an Old Batchelour;" another person as "an Old Maid." In 1789 "Old Fanny Rudland 66," and "Old Edward Hobbard," were buried. "Old Widow Walker was buried 8ber, 18th, 1791." The shortened forms of 7ber, 8ber, 9ber, 10ber, were sometimes used for the months of September, October November, December. Peculiar names are met with such as Gaveric Brown baptised in 1786 and Ann Jice in 1783; Jane o'feffa North was baptized 1763, her brother Ireland North in 1767 and Papworth Pearson in 1780. Tab Richardson was buried in 1789. Entries showing the social standing of certain people are interesting even if unedifying. " Buried Robert Clough, Esq., 4th March, 1777. "Buried Mary Clough, gent :, 8ber 17th, 1780. "Lower down in the social scale we find the buriel of "Mrs Sarah Eyres, Widdow" in 1767; and of "Mr. Robert Grimmer" in 1770. In the year 1774 "Samuel ye son of Mr. John and Jane Eyres" was baptized, though Jane for some reason is bereft of her title. In the burials at the beginning of the 19th century are the following entries-"William Feetham (hanged himself), 25. April 6th, 1808;"also "John Whiteman, Quaker, was carried to Bury to Mildenhall; "which means, I presume, that he was taken for burial to Mildenhall - it was in the year 1808.

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