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Subject: [CHS] A soldier's wedding at Nantwich
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 11:11:51 +0000


I POSSESS a splendid book called "A History of the Town and Parish of
Nantwich or Wich Malbank in the County Palatine of Cheshire" by James
Hall of Willaston, Nantwich. This was originally privately published
in 1883 and reprinted in reduced format facsimile in 1972. I was
lucky enough recently to acquire a copy of the facsimile and it is a
prodigious and valuable work of over 500 pages of immense interest
to anyone with ancestors in the Nantwich area, being full of names,
history and some pedigrees of the better-known families.

I propose, when I have the time, to post some lists of names from the
book, but here is an entertaining ancedote to start off with.

In the early 1800s England was on full military alert for the
threatened invasion by the French under Napoleon Bonaparte. The
Nantwich Volunteers were the largest company in Cheshire, except for
Chester. The following amusing incident was reported in the Chester
Chronicle of Friday, December 7th 1804:-

"Monday last at Nantwich, Mr. Scholfield, sergeant of the Army of
Reserve, to Miss Betty Hallwood of Beam Bridge. This marriage being
against the consent of the lady's friends, the brother of the bride
actually stript to fight the parson in the church for marrying them,
who was obliged to procure constables to keep the peace during the
nuptial ceremony ; after which the bride was borne off in triumph by
the bridegroom under one arm, and a corporal of the same regiment
under the other, to the no small gratification of a large concourse
of spectators."

I hope the marriage of my own gt-gt-gt-grandparents, John MIDGLEY
(also a solider) and Jane PLEVIN at Nantwich 10 years later in 1814
was not equally fraught!

Roy Stockdill, Editor, the Journal of One-Name Studies
Web page of the Guild of One-Name Studies:- www.one-name.org
Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History:- www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html

Cheshire interests - PLEVIN and WILLIAMS at Nantwich and Acton-by-Nantwich

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