Monday 14 January 2013

A Sailor's request to the Kirk Session

As readers of this blog may have guessed, the Kirk Session records of the Church of Scotland (and other Scottish churches) are one of my favourite genealogical sources.

But in case you thought that Kirk Session minutes are only of use for locating details of illegitimate births and 'ante-nuptial' fornication, I thought I would share this interesting extract from the Kirk Session minutes for North Berwick, East Lothian that I came across recently:

North Berwick Kirk Session: Minutes 1814-1816
National Records of Scotland ref. CH2/285/7
Page 54

                  North Berwick 6th Nov[embe]r 1815
The Session being met & constitute Took under consider-
ation the case of Henry Jackson, who having deserted from
on board one of the Kings Ships, & entered on board of
another under the name of Henry King requested the
Moderator & two members of the Session to subscribe
a Certificate to him for prize money.  The Session
having deliberated refused to grant such Certificate
under the name of King without also mentioning his
real name_

I think it's fair to say that this entry raises more questions than it answers! However it could be very useful for anyone trying to track down a Henry Jackson who mysteriously disappears from the records in the 1810s or a Henry King who seems to have sprung from nowhere.

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