A Prees parish burial register reveals rather more than the usual name and date for my 6th great-granduncle, Joseph Dickin. In 1792, the clerk recorded exactly how he died: “Fell from his horse when drunk.”
A Prees parish burial register reveals rather more than the usual name and date for my 6th great-granduncle, Joseph Dickin. In 1792, the clerk recorded exactly how he died: “Fell from his horse when drunk.”
Some parish registers offer little more than names and dates. Others, very occasionally, tell stories so vivid they feel almost intrusive. The burial register for Prees, Shropshire (1782–1799) records causes of death, burial locations within the churchyard, and — unusually — family relationships, even for adults. Together, they reveal lives, losses, and clerical honesty rarely preserved for this period.
Clockmaker John Benbow of Prees lived to 107, working well into old age and once walking 14 miles at age 104 to fix a velvet collar. His story spans three centuries of rural English life and timeless craftsmanship.
