On May 29 Rita Newton posted an enquiry ("Married by banns") concerning a wedding in St Thomas, Portsmouth, in 1801. I deleted the message so have broken the archive thread - sorry! One of the witnesses was Stephen HATCH. He was, I believe, the parish clerk of St Thomas. A Stephen H. is shown as such in Pigot's 1830 Directory, p. 215, with address at 112 High Street, Portsmouth. The same Stephen (or another?) is also listed in Pigot's as an ironmonger, with "Son", at the same address (112 High St) and also at 10 Wish Street, Southsea. Pigot's also lists: - Jane Hatch, boarding school or whatever, at 20 High Street, Portsmouth; - John Hatch, baker, grocer & tea dealer, Kingston Cross, Portsea; and - Robert Hatch, ironmonger, 4 Broad Street, Portsmouth. Parish clerking may have been a family "business" since William Hatch is shown in White's 1878 Directory (pp. 391, 421) as clerk of St Mary, Portsea - and also registrar of BMDs. Both Robert (the ironmonger?) and William Hatch witnessed marriages in my family tree. White's directory also lists: - Miss Charlotte Hatch, milliner, 15 Victoria Street, Landport - James Hatch, rigger, Dockyard, and - Joseph Hatch, cabinet maker etc., 12 Wilton Cottages, Marmion Road, Southsea. For the record, White's lists on p. 373 the registrars in Portsmouth: - For marriages: William Hatch & William Marshal; - For births and deaths: T. Batchelor for Portsmouth; J.A. Byerley for Portsea; J.L. Childs for Landport & Southsea; and William Hatch for Kingston. I believe it was not uncommon for clerks to witness marriages. All grist for someone's mill. Peter Gawn (Canada).