Parish Register Curiosities 1

I thought it would be interesting to show some unusual parish register entries this time around.

The first comes from the Llanfihangel Esceifiog (Anglesey) burial register, and concerns the hapless Owen Owens of Geirwen Ganol, who was buried on the 5^th of April, 1827, aged 45. A comment added beneath his name notes “Killed in consequence of rashly adventuring himself between the Arms of the Windmill at Geirwen.”

Next we have the title page of the Dolbenmaen register. Here the Rector, Jeffrey Holland, has attempted to explain the poor record keeping within the parish: “There has been a most shameful neglect for 20 years in this Parish without any account of Burials, Marriages & Christenings owing to a Drunken Curate Mr Davies lately Dead. Octbr. 9^th 1790. Jeffry. Holland, Rector.”

Finally we come to the “Old Man of Caernarfon.” According to the Llanbeblig burial register on the 8^th of March, 1902, Robert Roberts, of 59 South Penrallt, Caernarfon was buried. Nothing unusual you might say, except that the register records his age as 769! It turns out that Mr. Roberts was actually 69 years old, so obviously a ‘senior moment’ from the vicar, J. W. Wynne-Jones.