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Baptism Register entry

Discussion in 'General Genealogical Queries' started by pennywise, Oct 8, 2024.

  1. pennywise

    pennywise LostCousins Star

    Whilst searching for the Baptism of an ancestor in the Baptism Register of St Clement Danes Westminster for the period 1671-1700 I came across an entry for James a child taken up in hand and holly bush.

    Can anyone tell me what this means, and whether it was a common entry in the 1600/1700s.
     
    pennywise, Oct 8, 2024
    #1
  2. peter

    peter Administrator Staff Member

    Could you please provide a link (or else, precise details of the entry so that we can find it ourselves)?

    It's important to view primary sources when they are available as sometimes looking at other pages in the register can provide clues - and occasionally it turns out that the handwriting has been misinterpreted.
     
    peter, Oct 9, 2024
    #2
  3. pennywise

    pennywise LostCousins Star

    pennywise, Oct 9, 2024
    #3
  4. Tim

    Tim Megastar and Moderator Staff Member

    Here's a link to the image
     
    Tim, Oct 9, 2024
    #4
  5. peter

    peter Administrator Staff Member

    Thanks, Tim that saves a lot of time (others please note).

    Now I can see that the full entry reads:

    Daniel a Child taken up in Hand and Hollybush Court

    In other words, a foundling - so nothing particularly unusual (and sadly we still have foundlings today).
     
    peter, Oct 9, 2024
    #5
  6. Stuart

    Stuart LostCousins Member

    That helpful Mr (or Mrs) Google found me a couple of references to the Hand and Hollybush or its courtyard. One was a list of 17th century coffee houses, taverns, and inns, which has it near St Clements' church. The list has a lot of similar names, referring to signs (which might be a model or a real object, not just a painted board).
    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...s_and_Queries_-_Series_12_-_Volume_6.djvu.jpg

    There is also a parish account book that notes 1s paid (presumably in out relief) to a "Woman in hand & Holly bush Court" in 1720.
    https://www.londonlives.org/browse.jsp?div=WCCDAO35300AO353000053
     
    Stuart, Oct 9, 2024
    #6

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