How can I trace my Suffolk forebears?
QMy ancestors Archibald and Frances (née Banyard) Banyard were married at Crowfield, Suffolk, in 1824. According to the 1861 census, Archibald was born c1805 in Crowfield and Frances c1800 in Copdock. I can find no trace of their baptisms. Can you help please?
Carol Batsford
ARelatively few Suffolk resources are available online, although some of the indexes produced by Suffolk Family History Society are available on Findmypast ( findmypast.co.uk). Crowfield and Copdock are included in the Suffolk Baptisms Index, and the fact that there is no trace of the baptisms of Archibald and Frances may suggest nonconformity. Although many pre-1837 nonconformist registers were surrendered to the registrar general, some were not. A check of Suffolk Archives’ catalogue via www. suffolkarchives.co.uk will show you whether any registers are held for chapels in or near Crowfield or Copdock. Search, too, for minute books, because not all chapels kept separate registers.
The National Burial Index for England and Wales on Findmypast includes these Banyard burials at Crowfield: Frances (buried 1823, aged 72); William (buried 1830, aged 84); and Theodore (buried 1832, aged 55). Was Theodore Archibald’s father, and
William and Frances his grandparents?
Estate or death-duty records contain a wealth of useful information, including details of executors and beneficiaries. Family relationships are often noted, because close relatives were exempt from death duty. Since wills proved in the Archdeaconries of Suffolk and Sudbury are listed in Suffolk Archives’ catalogue, search for a Banyard of Crowfield/Copdock and check any that you find. An index to the registers is available on Findmypast, and includes an entry for Theodore Banyard of Earl Stonham in 1832. This is probably the Theodore buried at Crowfield – check the register entry for any mention of Archibald. The microfilmed registers can be viewed at The National Archives in Kew, or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) Family History Centers. Katherine Cobb