Parish Registers of Aldgate, London 1558-1710: Documentation

Description

This data collection contains five pipe (|) separated variable files that are the tables of a relational database representing a transcription of parish register baptism, marriage and burial events for the parishes of St Botolph Aldgate and Holy Trinity Minories, London. This data collection was created between June 2008 and June 2011 as part of the ESRC-funded research project ‘Life in the suburbs: health, domesticity and status in early modern London’. 

The sources of this data collection are the original manuscript parish registers of St Botolph Aldgate and Holy Trinity Minories held at Guildhall Library. The references are as follows:

St Botolph Aldgate parish registers	GL MS 9220 bap 1558-1625 and mar 1558-1625; GL MS 9221 paper bap 1571-93 and paper bur 1571-93; GL MS 9222/1 bur 1558-1625; GL MS 9222/2 bur 1625-1665; GL MS 9223 paper bap 1593-99 and paper bur 1593-99; GL MS 9224 bap 1625-69 and mar 1625-56 and bur 1665-73; GL MS 9225/1 rough bap 1625-40 and bur 1558-1625; GL MS 9225/2 bap 1669-95; GL MS 9226 bap 1695-1711 and bur 1695-1711 and mar 1695-1711; GL MS 9229 mar 1653-75 and banns 1653-8; GL MS 9230/1 mar 1675-95; GL MS 9232/1 bur 1673-95.

Holy Trinity Minories parish registers	GL MS 9238 bap, bur and mar 1563-1717; GL MS 9241/1 mar 1644-48/9; GL MS 9242A mar 1657/8-59; GL MS 9241/2 mar 1660-3; GL MS 9242B  mar 1676-83; GL MS 9243 mar 1683-6; GL MS 9244 mar 1686-92; GL MS 9243 mar 1692-1754; GL MS 9245 mar 1693/4-1713.

These sources were digitally photographed by Stuart Basten and Oliver Dunn and input into Microsoft Access 2000 databases by Laurie Lindey, Jo Mattingley, Sue Parkinson, Gavin Robinson, Ivar Romo, Tiffany Schumaker and Eila Williamson. Most events post 1690 were at first input from microfilm copies of the parish registers obtained from the Genealogical Society of Utah and later checked against the digital images. Random samples of the input were checked for paleographic accuracy by Philip Baker at the Centre for Metropolitan History. The structure of the input was devised by Gill Newton at the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure and Mark Merry at the Centre for Metropolitan History, and the data were concatenated, cleaned and checked for logical consistency by Gill Newton. 

The dates covered are 1558-1710 for St Botolph Aldgate and 1563-1711 for Holy Trinity Minories, with additional baptisms and burials to 1718.  It should be noted that there are some gaps in extant parochial registration during these periods, particularly in marriages in Holy Trinity Minories. 

Structure and Related Datasets

Event.psv	17174957 bytes	173,296 lines + field names on first line	
Person.psv	16214854 bytes	211,900 lines + field names on first line	
Related_people.psv	11835982 bytes	159,496 lines + field names on first line	
Condition.psv	1827587 bytes	70,037 lines + field names on first line	
RPCondition.psv	111100 bytes	3,919 lines + field names on first line	

There are five tables representing parish register Events as a whole, their component subject Persons and those Persons’ Conditions or status,  Related_people and those Related_people’s Conditions or status. The tables are joined as indicated in the table and field descriptions given below. These tables are also related to the data collection ‘Reconstituted families of Aldgate, London, 1558-1710’, which contains family reconstitutions of these events. There are joins between the key field of tables in this database and foreign key fields of that database as indicated in that data collection.

An alternative version of this resource together with the related resource ‘Reconstituted families of Aldgate, London, 1558-1710’ exists as a Microsoft Access 2000 database. This also contains a version of the user interface Forms used for data input that may be used for viewing transcriptions of each parish register baptism, marriage and burial event. This database was created by Gill Newton. The .psv files of this data collection were generated from this database

Event.psv

Each record represents a baptism, marriage or burial Event recorded in one of the sources, which are usually parish registers. An Event must have one or more Persons, who is/are the subject(s) of that Event.

Event_id (Integer)

Unique identifier for each baptism, marriage or burial Event.

Event_date (Date)

The date of an Event as given in the sources, where dates are usually in the Julian calendar with each year beginning on 25 March. Where partially given in the source, derived from its position relative to other dated Events in the register, or where the day is unclear, set to the first day of the month, or where the month is unclear, set to the first month in the year. Unclear dates are annotated in the [Memo] field and the uncertainty associated with them is modelled by the [DateUncertainty] field. 

Event_dateGREGORIAN (Date)

The date of an Event in the Gregorian calendar, derived from [Event_date].

DateUncertainty (Integer)

For partial  or impossible dates (see [Event_date] above, this is used to represent the number of days which, when added to the date of an event as recorded in [Event_date] or [Event_dateGREGORIAN], represent the latest date on which the event is deemed to have taken place. Note that this field can include negative values.

Parish (String)

Indicates the parish in which the Event was recorded. which is usually a parish register. The options are:

St Botolph Aldgate	Listed in the parish registers of St Botolph Aldgate, London	
Holy Trinity Minories	Listed in the parish registers of Holy Trinity Minories, London	
				
Event (String)

The type of Event recorded in a register. Can be baptism, marriage or burial

Unrelated_memo (String)

Any marginalia or other comments in a register,  appearing below or closest to the Event transcribed in the other fields of a record, but which do not concern the Event.  All such notes are transcribed and are as given in the original orthography.

Marriage_authorisation (String)

Used only for marriage Events (see [Event] field). Indicates whether a marriage was authorised by the calling of banns, or by licence, where this information is given in a register. Can be banns, licence or banns and licence.

Licence_issuer (String)

Used only for marriage Events (see [Event] field).Where a marriage was authorised by licence (see [Marriage_authorisation] field), indicates from which Bishop or other source this licence was obtained, where this information is given in a register. 
The options are:

Canterbury	
Faculties	
London	

These are standardised descriptors used during data inputting.

Memo (String)
 
Used to record any comments or pertinent further information concerning an Event that is given in a register, transcribed in the original orthography and surrounded by quotation marks (“”). Also used for comments and queries by the data inputter that concern the whole Event or more than one of its subjects,  particularly any problems concerning the dating of an Event (see also [Event_date] above), whether the Event was transcribed out of the order listed in the register (see also [Reg_Order_Num] below), whether the Event is crossed out in the register, and any ambiguities inherent in or inferences that may be made from the wording of the source.

Marriage_location (String)

Used only for marriage Events (see [Event] field). The location in which a marriage is stated to have taken place, where such information is given in a register. In the original orthography.

Reg_Order_Num (Integer)

A numeric sequence that allows Events to be sorted into the same order as in the original source registers, correcting any out of sequence data entry flagged in the [Memo] field.

Address (String)

In baptisms and burials, the street address or other current residential information of the family or subject of an event. Since brides and grooms are presumed to have different addresses, for marriages this is represented using the Person [Residence] field (see below). In the case of present and former address information such as “lodging at the White Horse but formerly from Eccles” the former residence is also given in the Person [Residence] field.

Person.psv

Each record represents a Person who is a subject of a baptism, burial or marriage Event as recorded in one of the sources, which are usually parish registers. Each record must have a corresponding Event record (see Event.psv). A Person may have one or more Conditions (see Condition.psv).

PID (Integer)

Unique identifier for each Person record.

Event_id (Integer)

Foreign key indicating the Event record to which  a Person belongs (see Event.psv).

Birth_date (Date)

Used only for baptism Events (see Event table [Event] field). The date of birth where such information is given in the source. Dates are usually in the Julian calendar with each year beginning on 25 March. Where partially given in the source, where the day is unclear, set to the first day of the month, or where the month is unclear, set to the first month in the year. 
Birth_place (String)

Used only for baptism Events (see Event table [Event] field).  A Person’s place of birth where such information is given in the source register. Most often given where the child is a foundling.

Baptism_place (String)

Used only for baptism Events (see Event table [Event] field).  A Person’s place of baptism where such information is given in the source register. Often a private dwelling.

Forename (String)

Forename of a Person in the original orthography as given in the source.

Surname (String)

Surname of a Person in the original orthography as given in the source.

Surname_interpolated (String)

This is a field added after data inputting, derived from the Person [Surname] and Related_people [Surname] fields where appropriate so as to provide a surname for persons where the Person [Surname] field was originally blank. 

Stated_sex (String)

See also [Sex] field. A standardised form of any words used in the original source from which the gender of a Person may be inferred. Some of the descriptors used were automatically copied from the title field during data input. The options and their inferences are:

Descriptor	sex	
Alderman	m	
Baron	m	
boy	m	
brother	m	
Captain	m	
Colonel	m	
Dame	f	
daughter	f	
Dr	m	
Duchess	f	
Duke	m	
father	m	
female	f	
girl	f	
Goodwife	f	
grandson	m	
her	f	
his	m	
husband	m	
Justice	m	
Lady	f	
Lord	m	
Madam	f	
maid	f	
Major	m	
male	m	
man	m	
Master	m	
Mistress	f	
mother	f	
Mr	m	
Mr Alderman	m	
Mr Doctor	m	
Mrs	f	
nephew	m	
niece	f	
Right Honourable	m	
Sir	m	
Sir Doctor	m	
sister	f	
son	m	
unstated	x	
wench	f	
Widow	f	
wife	f	
woman	f	
Worshipful	m	

Sex (String)

The sex of a person, as stated in the source or as inferred from their name. See also [Stated_sex]. Can be “m” for males, “f” for females or “x” where the sex is unknown.

Death_date (String)

Used only for burial Events (see Event table [Event] field). The date of death where such information is given in the source. Dates are usually in the Julian calendar with each year beginning on 25 March. Where partially given in the source, where the day is unclear, set to the first day of the month, or where the month is unclear, set to the first month in the year. 

Residence (String)

See also Event [Address]. In burials and baptisms, the original place of residence of a Person, as distinct from their current address, where such information is given in the source. In marriages, the current address or home parish of the bride or groom. Recorded in the original orthography as given.

Occupation (String)

Occupation or economic status of a Person, where such information is given in the source. Recorded in the original orthography as given in the source.

Age (String)

Age of a Person, where such information is given in the source. May be a precise age in years, days or months, or a general descriptor such as “aged”. Recorded in the original orthography as given in the source.

Cause_of_death (String)

The cause of death of a Person, where such information is given in the source. Recorded in the original orthography as given in the source. 

Comment (String)

Any other information given in the original source which applies to a particular Person rather than to the whole Event (compare the Event table [Memo] field). In “” where quoting from the original source. Also used for comments and queries by the data inputter, to clarify what has been entered in the other fields of a Person record.  

Burial_location (String)

Used only for burial Events (see Event table [Event] field). The location in which the body of a Person has been interred where such information is given, recorded in the original orthography. Usually a place within the parish church or churchyard.

 Title (String)

Any titles, honorifics etc usually preceding a Person’s forename and surname where such information is given in the source. Standardised to one of the descriptors listed below during data inputting. Where the Title also indicates sex, automatically copied to the [stated_sex] field during data inputting. Where a Title indicates occupation or economic status the original orthography is also recorded in the [Occupation] field. 

Title	
Mr	
Mrs	
Sir	
Lady	
Baron	
Dr	
Sir Doctor	
Captain	
Colonel	
Dame	
Goodwife	
Lord	
Major	
Master	
Mistress	
Widow	
Mr Alderman	
Mr Doctor	
Mother	
Alderman	
Father	
Duke	
Justice	
Duchess	
Worshipful	
Right Honourable	
Mr Baron	
Madam	

Burial_type (String)

This is a field added after data inputting to burial records only. It subdivides the subject of the burial into one of several categories. The options are:

Burial type	
adult	
ambiguous	
child	
lodger adult	
lodger ambiguous	
lodger child	
not a family member	
parented child	
parented stillborn	
spouse	

Related_people.psv

Each record represents an individual who is related to a Person who is the subject of an Event. This includes but is not limited to mothers and fathers, husbands and wives of the subject Person. Each related_people record must belong to a Person (see Person.psv). A Related_people individual may have one or more RP_Condition records (see RP_Condition.psv).

RPID (Integer)

Unique identifier for each Related_people record.

Relationship (String)

The relationship of a Person (see Person.psv) to a Related_people individual (not the relationship from the Related_people individual’s perspective). Standardised during data inputting. The options are:

Relationship	
apprentice of	
brother of	
child of	
cousin of	
daughter of	
dwelling with	
father of	
godfather	
godmother	
granddaughter of	
grandson of	
gravemate	
husband of	
in-law-brother of	
in-law-daughter of	
in-law-father of	
in-law-mother of	
in-law-sister of	
in-law-son of	
journeyman of	
kinsman of	
kinswoman of	
lodger of	
maid of	
mother of	
nephew of	
niece of	
partner of	
scholar of	
servant of	
sister of	
sojourner of	
son of	
surety	
twin to	
unstated	
widow of	
wife of	
witness	

Related_to (Integer)

Foreign key identifying the Person record [PID] field (see Person.psv) to which a Related_people individual belongs.

Event_id (Integer)

Foreign key identifying the Event record (see Event.psv) to which a Related_people individual belongs.

Forename (String)

Forename of a Related_people individual in the original orthography as given in the source.

Surname (String)

Surname of a Related_people individual in the original orthography as given in the source.

Surname_interpolated (String)

This is a field added after data inputting, derived from the Related_people [Surname] and Person [Surname] fields where appropriate so as to provide a surname for individuals where the Related_person [Surname] field was originally blank. 

Stated_sex (String)

A standardised form of any words used in the original source from which the gender of a Related_people individual may be inferred. Some of the descriptors used were automatically copied from the title field during data input. The options and their inferences are as given for the Person table [stated_sex] field (see Person.psv).

Residence (String)

Place of residence of a Related_people individual, where such information is given in the source. Recorded in the original orthography as given.

Occupation (String)

Occupation or economic status of a Related_people individual, where such information is given in the source. Recorded in the original orthography as given.

Age (String)

Age of a Related_people individual, where such information is given in the source. May be a precise age in years, days or months, or a general descriptor such as “aged”. Recorded in the original orthography as given in the source.

Comment (String)

Any other information given in the original source which applies to a particular Related_people individual rather than to the whole Event (compare the Event table [Memo] field). In “” where quoting from the original source. Also used for comments and queries by the data inputter, to clarify what has been entered in the other fields of a Related_people individual record.  

Title (String)

Any titles, honorifics etc usually preceding a Related_people individual’s forename and surname where such information is given in the source. Standardised during data inputting to a descriptor for which possible values are as listed for the Person table [Title] field. Where the Title also indicates sex, automatically copied to the [stated_sex] field during data inputting. Where a Title indicates occupation or economic status the original orthography is also recorded in the [Occupation] field. 

Parent_type (String)

This is a field added after data inputting to baptism and burial records where the Related_people individual is the mother or father of the subject Person of the Event. Can be “mother” or “father”.

Condition.psv

Each record represents a Condition, or standardised piece of status information, belonging to a Person. A Person may have one or more Condition. Each Condition must have a corresponding Person (see Person.psv).

FlagID (Integer)

Unique identifier for each Condition record.

PersonID (Integer)

Foreign key identifying the [PID] field of the Person to which a Condition belongs (see Person.psv)

Flags (String)

A standardised version of some piece of especially pertinent status information about a Person which is given in the source, usually also recorded in the original orthography elsewhere in the Person record (in the [Age], [Occupation], [Residence] or [comments] field. The options are:

Flags	
abortive child	
adult/non-infant	
alias	
apprentice	
bachelor	
black	
child	
chrisom	
christened	
deceased	
doctor	
esquire	
foreigner	
foundling	
householder	
illegitimate	
implicit baptism	
infant	
inmate	
junior/the younger	
lodger	
lodger/sojourner	
maid	
maid/maid servant	
minister	
parish child/child of the people	
parson	
pensioner	
poor	
poor/pauper	
senior/ the elder	
servant/belonging to/man of/nurse	
spinster	
stillborn	
stranger	
stranger/foreigner	
travailer	
twins/multiple birth	
unchristened	
widow(er)	

RPCondition

Each record represents a Condition, or standardised piece of status information, belonging to a Related_people individual. A Related_people individual may have one or more Condition. Each Condition must have a corresponding Related_people individual (see Related_people.psv).

RFlagID (Integer)

Unique identifier for each Condition record.

RPersonID (Integer)

Foreign key identifying the [RPID] field of the Related_people individual to which a Condition belongs (see Related_people.psv)

RFlags (String)

A standardised version of some piece of especially pertinent status information about a Related_people individual which is given in the source, usually also recorded in the original orthography elsewhere in the Related_people individual record (in the [Age], [Occupation], [Residence] or [comments] fields). The options are as given for the Condition table [Flags] field (see Condition.psv).

 

Written by Gill Newton, August 2011