Kevin - > This might be a rather strange request, but I was hoping someone might be > able to help me decipher a name from this manorial document (28 Edw III). > It's just a bonus miscellaneous item I copied while at Kew because I'm > always on the lookout for the earliest mentions of Pym/Pymme in Oxon. > > http://i56.tinypic.com/2h2nllc.jpg > > I've marked next to a couple of names that look, superficially at least, > like Pym (John and ???). Although the P appears to have a mark which > possibly means it's an abbreviation? I can't figure out the placename > either - presumably it's somewhere near Drayton and Chiselhampton which > are > also mentioned. This is posted for Margo Mckinstry McKinstryMJ (at) familysearch.org: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kevin, I asked one of our resident document readers here in British Reference at the Family History Library and this is her interpretation (She has been doing this for 30 years.) She believes that the name in both places is P.sun which would mean they have done a short version of names like Parson or Pearson. The place she assumed you wanted was the one at the top of the page as she could read the others as Drayton & Chisselhampton. She thinks it is Stoke. something. However, in looking for that kind of place around Drayton & Chisselhampton, she couldn't find anything that matched. Could it be the name of a manor, estate, hill etc.? Hope that helps. Margo - SLC

Thank you all very much - Jennifer (& sister!), Wendy and Margo for your thoughts. I should have thought of the 'p' as an abbreviation for per or par - I have seen p[ar]ish and p[er]fect so many times in wills. I suppose these old conventions have stuck (although it is a novelty for me to see them used for writing a surname). Yes, I accept that something like "Parson" is the best interpretation - I was tempted by "Perynn" except that the second letter doesn't resemble the other slanty y's on the page. I have figured out the place name by typing some guesses into google (with a + sign, so it looks for exact matches only). It is Dorkcestr (= Dorchester); there is a very similar rendering of the name at http://aalt.law.uh.edu/CP25%281%29/CP25%281%29191Oxon/IMG_0438.htm Regards, Kevin. (happy not to have yet another group of early Pymmes to worry about!)

Margo/Kevin I have looked at this document in the past in connection with Drayton. I have always assumed that the first largest list relates to Dorchester as the main parish in the Hundred. The title is particularly badly written but you will see the D for Drayton below it is similar and it ends with "ter" I think. There is a South Stoke in the Hundred though but not likely to have that number of tax payers. While writing could Margo try her colleague with the list of names for Drayton which have largely defeated me. I am compiling a history of the village and any confirmation of any early inhabitants would be very useful. Ken On 24 Sep 2011, at 15:04, Wendy Archer wrote: > Kevin - > >> This might be a rather strange request, but I was hoping someone >> might be >> able to help me decipher a name from this manorial document (28 Edw >> III). >> It's just a bonus miscellaneous item I copied while at Kew because >> I'm >> always on the lookout for the earliest mentions of Pym/Pymme in Oxon. >> >> http://i56.tinypic.com/2h2nllc.jpg >> >> I've marked next to a couple of names that look, superficially at >> least, >> like Pym (John and ???). Although the P appears to have a mark which >> possibly means it's an abbreviation? I can't figure out the >> placename >> either - presumably it's somewhere near Drayton and Chiselhampton >> which >> are >> also mentioned. > > This is posted for Margo Mckinstry McKinstryMJ (at) familysearch.org: > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Kevin, > > I asked one of our resident document readers here in British > Reference at > the Family History Library and this is her interpretation (She has > been > doing this for 30 years.) > > She believes that the name in both places is P.sun which would mean > they > have done a short version of names like Parson or Pearson. > > The place she assumed you wanted was the one at the top of the page > as she > could read the others as Drayton & Chisselhampton. She thinks it is > Stoke. > something. However, in looking for that kind of place around > Drayton & > Chisselhampton, she couldn't find anything that matched. Could it > be the > name of a manor, estate, hill etc.? > > Hope that helps. > > Margo - SLC > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > OFHS Open Day - 1 October in Woodstock > www.ofhs.org.uk > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to OXFORDSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message