Over the last week or two, a fair few certificates we have ordered have, quite frankly, contained information which is less than 100% factual. On some occasions, far from it and in certain cases, the informant must have been away with the fairies! Made up surnames, marriages which never happened and other information which is spurious at best.
The reference to fairies reminds me of a blog some Christmases past…. about fairies in the 1911 census …. ‘fairy wack‘ was my favourite transcription of what should have been dairy work! You know what, though? There are plenty of Fairy middle names in the England and Wales BMDs and not just for the ladies! Of all the people born with Fairy as a given name, Fairy Twite is (in my opinion) the best – died Lambeth, June qtr 1880 aged 16. Though, the most amusing Fairy marriage award has to go to Fairy G. Wilson who becomes Fairy G. Best in Market Drayton in 1915!
The number of angels is ludicrous – over 13,000 individuals have Angel in their given names between 1916 and 2005 in England and Wales. Although Pixie becomes a more commonly used first name during the 20th century, even then it is not used to a great extent. Pixie Adrienne Rumbol (nee Russell) died in Poole in 2007 and, of all Pixie’s, she is one of my top three. An odd fact (in my eyes) is that there is only one person with Pixie as a middle name on FreeBMD – Lilian Pixie Jones b. 1907 Toxteth Park…. with a surname of Jones, I ‘kinda get it’!
There is a moment in everyone’s life when they realise they are living with the fairies, pixies and/or angels. Are you there? Fancy a sideline job? We still need more researchers at FWL. Those with time, phone skills, team work and dedication in bucket loads…. Is that you? Do get in touch!!!
