Baptisms, Donington in Holland, 1849-1855

I set out to look through the Baptisms Parish Register for Donington 1849-1889, seeking any baptisms by one particular family, but I realised that it's easy to get distracted and daydream, then not be sure what you've actually checked and if you were thorough, before wandering off for a coffee and not getting back to what you were doing!

Lincstothepast have put scanned images of the original parish registers for Donington in Holland online - and you can go through, image by image, looking for what you're after.  While this is fabulous, I do find the interface tricky to use, it's like trying to paint your hallway through your letterbox!  You can view the originals here: Donington Baptisms 1848-1889

So, I needed a way to stay focussed and to not skimp and give up, so I decided that if I wrote down the surnames from each baptism, then I'd at least know I'd checked and done a thorough job.  And, if I'd written them down, I might as well publish the list, in case in benefitted others who were daunted by the task - not knowing "IF" somebody "MIGHT" be in there, it's tough to get motivated to start some days.

What is below is not a transcript of the parish registers for the baptisms at Donington, it's just the surnames as I've seen them as I quickly scanned through.  I have not attempted to get every name 100% perfect, nor spent any time viewing tricky ones from 100 angles to get it right. I am not a transcriptionist, so wasn't trying to create a definitive data set for formal public viewing and publication, simply waymarkers and clues.

But, if there's anything that looks vaguely like the name you're after, then it might get you the baptism you're after!  Where it says "... or ..." that is what the Vicar wrote, they are his alternative suggestions for the name he thought he was hearing.

This volume commences with baptisms on 7 September 1849.

1849

Hackforth, Thorndon, Thomson, Cook, Dickinson, Mold/Moulds, Spring, Ashden, Woodford, West, Clare, Woods, Abel, Bulmer, Metcalf, Houghton or Hooton, Broughton, Cooper, Jackson, Higginbottom or Hickinbottom, Middlebrook,

1850

Clifton, Holmes, Cousins, Haw, Teedale, Smith, Cox or Cocks, Jonge, Clements, Lamb, Haw, Rose, Hubbard, Smith, Bowles, Banister, Barnsdale, Fox, Hector Rowe, Stennett, Fairweather, King, Gibson, Thyme, Ward, Willson, Bacchus, Luesby, West, Marshall, Bates, Smith, Davy, Slight, Hutchesson, Donsby, Clifton, Sheffield, Beadley, Mettam, Rippon, Croft, Heard, Story, Basford, Brookes, Foster, Kettleborough, Cook,

1851

Forster, Worsdale, Richardson, Cox, Bankes, Baxter, Garrett, Moose, Recott, Grayfield, Marvin, Smith, Banton, Bulmer, Hickinbottom, Hutchinson, Wilder, Woodcock, Haw, Creasey, Wilson, Haw, Haw, Holt,
Hanwell, Gibbons, Hicksworth, Wigelsworth, Fox, Moles or Moulds, Sleight, Bowyer, Smith, Wilson, Cox or Cokes, Storey, Metcalf, Johnson, Hackforth, Leedale or Leedle, Clifton, Gunn, Ward, Marshall, Buffam, Hutchesson, Pell, Houghton or Horton, Gunn, Abbott,

1852

Cox or Cocks, Dawson, Storey, Hollingsworth, Martin, Holmes, Gibson, Gibson, Woods, Barnsdale, Rowe, Bacchus, Bilton, Bannister, Singleton, Holt, Rippon, Beecham, Southern, Hubbard, Wanty, Elsam, Foster, Knowles, George, George, George, George, Aspiland, Walker, Elsam, Buggels, Wiggelsworth, Donsby, Moxon, Walker, Bradley, Dexter, Hyme, Cheeseman, Reams, Davy, Hague.

1853

Fountain, Ward, Woodhead, Wander, Fowler, Sykes, Worsdale, Hickinbottom, Cook, Cocks, Sleight, Bell, Barton, Hutchinson or Hutchesson, Richards, Grundy, Walker, Haw, Willson, Nodd, Cook, Fanshall, King, Head, Gibbins, Hurter Rowe, Gunn, White, Jacklin, Hickinbottom, Wright, Holmes, Thompson, Steel, Baley, Constable, Rippon, Leedale or Leedle, Johnson,

1854

Wigelsworth, Sykes, Martin, King, Abel, Moles, Donsby, Hutchinson, Houghton or Hooton, Brown, Bardney, Southern, Holt, Saunders, Flowers, Bannister, White, Slackforth, Hague, Dawson, Pearson, Elsam, Marshall, Flint, Woods, Hollingsworth, Evans, Hutchenson or Hutchesson, Churchill, Wright, Hubbard, Gadsby, jacklin, Bromley, Pell, Slight, Constable, Foster, Gibson, Wanty, Tebb, Adcock, Slope,

1855

Fowler, Baston, Dexter, Moore, Thorpe Holland, Richardson, Steel, Cook, Grundy, Blanchard, Fryer, Roe, Sykes, White, Hempsall, Bools, Harrison, Ric, Knowles, Houghton or Hooton, Taylor, Baxter, Cox, Stainton, Jacklin, Thompson, Barndey, Baley, Constable,

At this point I was on page 20/105 and hadn't found who I was after, so, to be frank, I was a bit bored of it.  I will be returning to scan/transcribe the rest of the surnames in that volume.  Hopefully it'll help somebody who is running out of steam!

1856-1859 I've done here: Donington 1856-1859

Funny Things Found in Parish Registers:

Sometimes vicars make notes in the margins, I found the following notes and curiosities in this volume:

• 1853: In 1853 there is an * against Hunter/Rowe.  It looks like it might be indicating a child out of wedlock between Jeremiah Hunter and Elizabeth Rowe, but there's no explanation for the * on the page. 
• On page 11 there is some handwritten stuff in the bottom margin: NB Mary Singleton was not living with her husband. I think that's a polite way of saying the baby is illegitimate!
• 1852: In 1852, Harvey & Susannah George brought in four babies to be baptised at the same time.  24 August 1852, Sarah Ann, Mary Ann, Susannah and Elizabeth Ann.  Harvey George is a labourer, from Donington. John D Greenside, the vicar, didn't make any note about ages, or anything else though. 
• 1851: Hutchesson caught my eye - I wasn't looking at the parish, but it suddenly seemed to say to me that the couple were from Histon.  Well, I know Histon Cambs, so wondered if that was what it said. The whole entry appears to say: Baptised on 26 December 1851.  William Walton, son of Henry Gee & Elizabeth Hutchesson of Histon. Blacksmith.  Of course, it could say they are from Hinton!

From mid 1855 people are beginning to have addresses put into the abode box, not just the village name, but identifiers such as "Back Lane", or "Fen End".

So, I hope that helps somebody.  At least I am confident that for what I was looking for I have checked 1849-1855 thoroughly and didn't find the John (and potentially others) I was after.  They must've lived elsewhere the cheeky monkeys.