Thanks Tony & Barb, My lot left Godalming in 1874 for New Zealand. However, tracing back from there, (on my visits to UK) they came out of NW Surrey in about 1640 and prior to that they came out of NE Hants in about late 1500s. They were very involved with the Clergy, having had many of their number with arts degrees from Cambridge (maybe also Oxford) One was minister of Chobham parish, Sy, his name being embossed in the ceiling of the portal entrance to the church. I haven't followed up on Sussex Cs because that is in the opposite direction to that from which i'm pretty sure my lot came. CHRISTMASes originally must have come out of KENT because there's a King's Herald's Visitation book of 1243 in the Brit Library showing a CHRYSMASSE (=CHRISTMAS) jousting against a Knight at a tournament in KENT. The Herald drew all the Knights on this occasion, pages of them, for the King. The coat of arms that C had ( I drew a sketch of it) persisted on to Christmases (spelt by then CHRISTEMASSE) in SUTTON VALENCE in KENT in about 1300s. Alas the, CHRISTMAS COAT OF ARMS (the same one) that was in a stained glass window in the Sutton Valence church was broken up when the church was extended about 50 years ago. I understand that there's a heap of rubbish, not far from the church that still has some of the broken glass in it. However, it would be a hell of a job to find any bits, even if they were the bits. I really cannot understand a clergy allowing a historic stained glass window to be broken up and thrown away. The current minister, although cognisant of what happene! d, is not very interested. Whether there is any link from 1243 KENT to 1300 SUTTON VALENCE through Sussex (or whereever it was, such as the other way round via London, it presents a big gap) around to HAMPSHIRE and then into NE Hants to NW Surrey, may be impossible to find. I would like to keep in touch. Kind regards, Ray C NZ. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tony & Barb Fisher" <tbfisher@ripnet.com> To: <HAMPSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2005 12:15 AM Subject: [Ham] Re: CHRISTMAS > I too have a CHRISTMAS in my tree (lol, sorry 'bout that) that I've had > trouble tracing back. > > I have Jennie (sp) CHRISTMAS marrying George William DUKE in about 1890 & > residing in Storrington, W. Sussex. In my research I've always thought that > she was the daughter of William and Annie CHRISTMAS of March, Cambridgeshire > as I'd not found any other CHRISTMASes in the Southern counties. > > In the 1891 census I've located the couple living in Horsham & in 1901 they > are listed in Ashington. Jennie is listed as being a servant and as such > I've always been somewhat suspect that she would have had the means to > travel from Cambridgeshire to West Sussex at a young age. > > Now knowing that there were CHRISTMASes in Hampshire I'm starting to think > that she might be from there instead. > > Does anyone have any CHRISTMASes living the Hampshire/Sussex in the 1800's > ???? > > Many thanks. > > Tony Fisher > E. Ontario, CANADA > > Researching: Hampshire - FISHER (Colemore, Priors Dean), BRIDGER (Liss), > PRIOR (Priors Dean, Oakhanger) > West Sussex - DUKE (Storrington), CHRISTMAS (Storrington), BRIDGER (Elsted, > Harting, Iping) > > > > > > ==== HAMPSHIRE Mailing List ==== > Visit the knightroots website at www.knightroots.co.uk > >