Born in Shropshire in 1699, Mary Wiggin married in Fleet Prison—a centre of clandestine marriages in 18th-century London. Her story links rural parish records, legal drama, and her brother’s life in Exchange Alley.

Born in Shropshire in 1699, Mary Wiggin married in Fleet Prison—a centre of clandestine marriages in 18th-century London. Her story links rural parish records, legal drama, and her brother’s life in Exchange Alley.
[Stephen Wiggin was the brother of Thomas, Linda's 6th great-grandfather.] Tucked away in the quiet churchyard of Ightfield in Shropshire lies the final resting place of a man whose life intersected with the buzzing heart of 18th-century London commerce. Stephen Wiggin, born on July 10, 1690, in the rural village of Ightfield, made his mark […]