Hi Angela, Your evidence of age comes from sources that are obvious transcriptions - a census is often not filled out by the person involved, and many a person has not told the truth about their age, for a variety of reasons. Obviously a 3rd person completed the death certificate, so they may not have the exact age right either..... Do you know the professions of both Elizabeth and her parents and husband - do you have any proof any of them could read or write (how did she sign her name on the marriage certificate ?) Their profession may also indicate whether they were more likely to use diminutive names (which I believe is likely) My guess would be that you have the right person, but I would get more info on Betty & Jenny and indeed any other PRINGs in the area to make the info more reliable. As an aside, my daughter, though called Beatrice or Bea (pronounced bee) for short, is called Betty by one of her teachers, because he thinks it is closer to Beatrice than Bea !!! What can I say ? Happy Hunting Pickard ----- Original Message ----- From: "ag.hamilton" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 3:43 PM Subject: [SOG-UK] baptismal names > Hello, > > I (and several other people) have been hunting for the baptism of an > Elizabeth PRING in Devon somewhere around ca1782 (from her death > certificate, 1848) and ca 1786 (from the 1841 census) > > Her name is given as Elizabeth in the parish record for her marriage, as > Elizabeth or Elisabeth in the parish records for her children's baptisms > and as Elizabeth in the census and on her death certificate. > > She lived most of her life in the village of Broadhembury but there is no > baptism there for an Elizabeth PRING at around the right time. > > However there is a baptism in 1788 for Betty PRING 'being 4 years old' > (thus b. ca 1884) and on the same day her sister Jenny PRING. > > Betty is a commonly used form of Elizabeth and Jenny a form of Jane (and > we're hunting for a Jane as well). > > Is it likely that a child would be baptised using the diminutive of a name > but subsequently known by the name in it's full form? Elizabeth and > Jane PRING both appear in the parish apprenticeship records but Betty and > Jenny seem to have vanished. The mother of Betty and Jenny was called > Martha so the family wasn't trying to avoid confusion with the family > names. > > So the question is: were Betty and Jenny PRING the same as Elizabeth and > Jane PRING? > > Any thoughts would be very welcome > > Thanks > > Angela Hamilton > > > > >