Which of these four baptisms is my ancestor’s?

QMy ancestor William Mitson married Amy Golding on 26 July 1793 in Hundon, Suffolk. I have found the baptisms of their children as well as William’s burial – however, I have been unable to confirm the correct baptism for him.

William was buried on 6 April 1815 at All Saints Church, Hundon. His age was listed as 41, making his birth year 1773/1774. I haven’t found a baptism in those years, but ages recorded at death can be incorrect. I have found four possible Suffolk baptisms. Firstly, William Midson, son of William and Elizabeth, baptised on 19 January 1766 at Stoke-by-Clare; secondly, William Mitson, son of William and Elizabeth, baptised on 16 March 1767 at Stradishall; thirdly, William Mison, son of Samuel and Elizabeth, baptised on 27 November 1768 at Eriswell; and lastly, William Midson, son of John Moss Midson and Mary, baptised on 10 March 1771 at Tostock. Can you help me determine the correct baptism?

Adam Gaven A These are unusual names; according to the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland (ODFNBI), Milson and Midson are variants of Metson, which may in turn be a variant of Mixon.

Your William is less likely to be three or four in the above list, as Eriswell and Tostock are some distance away from Hundon. Stradishall and Stoke-by-Clare, on the other hand, share common boundaries with Hundon, to the north and south respectively. Number two also has the same spelling as your ancestor’s name.

None of this is conclusive, and William’s baptism may not be any of the four. As more records go online, you may well find further options appear. There is another baptism in 1767 for a William Mitson from the Suffolk parish of Mendham, son of John and Elizabeth, indexed on freereg.org.uk.

It may be worth contacting Suffolk Family History Society ( suffolkfhs.co.uk). Someone from the Society has registered an interest in the surname Mitson. It may be worth getting in touch to try and build up a list of Suffolk Mitsons.

There is also a one-name study for the related surname Metson ( one-name.org) which includes Mitson.

Finally, I suggest you look for other evidence, such as probate records and memorial inscriptions of family members. Alan Stewart