Hi, I have just re-subscribed after a break of about a year and thought I would repost my surname interest. I have the surname PARSONS in Wiltshire. John Parsons born about 1847 said in the 1871 and 1891 censuses that he was born at Coombe Wilts. In the 1881 his birth place is given as Salisbury. He was a gunner in the Royal Artillery from at least 1871 until at least 1891 when he was at Gravesend Kent. He died at Gravesend in 1896. I have asked on this list before about Coombe and have been told that there is a Coombe in the Donhead area, and then there is Castle Coombe and Coombe Bissett. I have also been directed to a John Parsons of the right age living with his grandparents and uncle in the 1851 & 1861 censuses at Sedgehill, he was born wither Sedgehill or Semley according to each of these entries. He would be a good candidate for being the right John Parsons. But I think I have found this particular John Parsons in the 1871 still in at Sedgehill, while our John Parsons was by then in the army. I believe our John Parsons was born illegitimately because he did not give a father's name on his marriage in 1873. I could not find any other place with the name just as Coombe. I certainly can't find young John Parsons in the 1851 or 1861 living at a place called anything like Coombe, and this has been bugging me for a few years. Yesterday whilst searching about on the internet I happened across Enford Wilts., which had Tythings attached to it, one of those tythings was Coombe. I also found that Coombe was just a hamlet and that it used to have a chapel of ease attached to it the remains, apparently, of this chapel can still be seen in the ground there. Enford is close to Netheravon and I believe that Coombe fell between the two, probably closer to Enford rather than Netheravon. I believe these places to be fairly close to Salisbury, looking at a map of the area today they are just a few miles from Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, which would explain John's birth place in the 1881 census perhaps. This sounds like a promising place to look for a baptism maybe of John Parsons as an illegitimate son about 1847. Does this sound reasonable to other lister who might know the area better than I do? Does anyone know anything about this Coombe or when the chapel stopped being used and if there are any PRs for the chapel kept anywhere? Any information would be useful at this point in time. John Parsons married Anna Maria CRADOCK at the Bethesda baptis chapel Trowbridge, I have a copy of the certificate. Anna Maria would also appear to have been illegitimate as she did not give a father's name on her marriage either. Her mother was Louisa Cradock who was baptised at Road/Rode Somerset in 1832 the daughter of James Cradock and his wife Sarah, James was a shoemaker of the parish of Rode but at times shown to be of the parish of North Bradley, I understand the people of Rode often were records at North Bradley too. In the 1841 census Louisa 8, and her two sisters Ann 17, and Caroline 10,were living at Woolverton in the 1841 census. In 1851 I found Louisa living in Trowbridge as a servant aged 19 in the house of William Moon and his wife Caroline. Caroline Moon was born Road and I then found a marriage between William Moon and Caroline Cradock, which would point to Caroline being the sister of Louisa. If anyone has an interest in either Parsons or Cradock I would be glad to hear from them. I would also like to hear from anyone who has William and Caroline Moon in their tree so that I can try and confirm the Caroline definitely was the sister of Louisa and tie up that loose end. regards Jenny DeAngelis Spain