25/09/2025
Life before Birth certificate's! Do you know that birth certificates only became a thing in 1837? Prior to that genealogists are reliant on parish registers like this fabulous document from 1773 and the parish of Sutton on the Forest. What a beautiful village! William Bell was the son of William and Ester. It is fortunate that we have the name of the mother, it was common in this period to just record the father's name unless the record is recording illegitimacy. At this time King George the 3rd was on the throne, known for his madness. Capt James Cook was touring the Antarctic.