Person:Edward Parsons (12)

Edward Parsons' origins have yet to be established for certain. At the time of his marriage in 1780 he was said to be "of this parish", being St Paul's Walden in Hertfordshire, although he need not have lived there for more than a few weeks for that to be accurate. The age quoted at his burial suggests he was born around 1751. The only Edward Parsons baptism found in the area around that time was the Edward Parsons baptised in 1757 at Kimpton. However, the St Paul's Walden registers are known to be deficient in the 1750s, with very few baptisms recorded between 1757 and 1761 compared to the years either side and a note acknowledging that baptisms had been omitted. We therefore cannot be certain whether the Edward Parsons who married in 1780 was the one baptised in Kimpton in 1757.

Edward's first confirmed sighting is therefore on 18th October 1780 when he married Martha Brown at St Paul's Walden. At the time of their marriage Edward was described as a labourer.

Edward and Martha stayed in St Paul's Walden and had their family, having seven children baptised at St Paul's Walden between 1780 and 1797. Their son George later reported that he had been born at Bendish, a hamlet in the parish of St Paul's Walden.

Edward and Martha later moved to neighbouring Kimpton, where Martha was buried in 1818. Edward outlived her by five years. He was buried at Kimpton on 7th December 1823. He was said to be 72 years old.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Burials register, in Church of England. Kimpton Parish Registers.

   BURIALS in the Parish of Kimpton in the County of Hertford in the Year 1823
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   213	Edward Parsons	Kimpton	Dec[embe]r 7th	72 y[ea]rs [1750/1]	Cha[rle]s Chauncy, Curate