Patience Blandford and Richard Iles Marriage Delayed

When doing genealogical research it always pays to revisit previous research. New records become readily available and you check them out or you find research of others that points you to records that are new to you. This was the case in learning more about one of my ancestors.

I have written about Patience Iles nee Blandford before here and Richard Iles here. They are my great-great-great grandparents. I had borrowed the microfilm from the Family History Library a number of years ago and had found their marriage that took place on 21 October 1822 at the Brimpsfield Parish Church in Gloucestershire, England. [1] Ancestry now has both the Parish register and the Bishop transcript

One family history on Ancestry mentioned that the banns had been published the year before in December 1821, so I looked at each of the records that this researcher had included. Here is what I found.

The original publishing of the banns in the Parish church happened on 2, 9 and 16 of December 1821. Notice that the curate added a note on a piece of paper that stated the curate, John Davies, read the banns on October 6, 1822. There is no indication that the banns were read the customary three times the month before the wedding.

No explanation is given in the records why there was a delay in the marriage. [2] Patience had three children prior to her marriage. On 4 November 1821, she brought her twins, Reuben and Harriett to the parish church to be baptized. [3] Her son, Reuben died when he was seven months old. [4] Was this a factor in the delay in their marriage?

You never know what you will find when you look at previous research.


[1] Church of England. Parish Church of Brimpsfield (Gloucestershire), Parish Marriage Register,  entry for Patience Blandford and Richard Eyles, microfilm 991292 item 1, p. 6, no. 16, Family History Library, Salt Lake City.
[2] Church of England. Parish Church of Brimpsfield (Gloucestershire). Parish Register - banns; entry for Patience Blandford and Richard Eyles, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 9 July 2016) citing Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucester, England; Reference Numbers: P58 IN 1/8.
[3] Church of England. Parish Church of Brimpsfield (Gloucestershire), Parish Baptismal Register,  entry for Harriet and Reuben Blandford, microfilm  991292 item 1 p. 10, no. 86, Family History Library, Salt Lake City.
[4] Church of England. Parish Church of Brimpsfield (Gloucestershire). Parish Burial Register, entry for Reuben Blandford, p. 8 no. 64; Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 9 July 2016) citing Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucester, England; Reference Numbers: P58 IN 1/9

© 2016 Janet Iles