In July, Robert Whaley reported to the list a possible marriage record of Edward Whalley the regicide, in the marriage registers of St Dunstan's Stepney. I saw it today on microfilm at the local FHC: Feb 7 1627 Edward Whalie of Flintham in Nottingham, gent, and Judith Duffield of Rochester, Kent. M. [Maiden], L.V.G. [Licence Vicar General] I believe that there are good grounds for believing this really is the first marriage of Edward Whalley the regicide. 1) The names fit. In 'English Record of the Whaley Family' Rev. Samuel Whaley says (p17) that Edward was the second son of Richard Whaley of Screveton, Nottingham County. Born in 1615 (on p21, he says 'about 1615'), his first wife was Judith, daughter of John Duffel, Esq. There are spelling differences in both surnames in the marriage register, but these are probably insignificant. 2) The date fits. Edward obviously couldn't have been born in 1615 if he were married in 1627. But on p68, Rev Sam confidently states that Edward's eldest son John was born in 1633. This fits OK with a 1627 marriage. 3) Edward's place of origin fits. Flintham, Nottinghamshire is within 2 miles of both Screveton and Sibthorpe, which feature large in the history of the Regicide's ancestors given by Rev. Sam and others. They lie about 10 miles east of the city of Nottingham. Confusingly, there is another Sibthorpe, about 20 miles to the north, which lies close to Kirton, another place which features in a history of the Regicide's ancestors. 4) The status, gentleman, fits with Edward the regicide, who came from a wealthy family. In those days, a gentleman was someone who had no need to actually work for a living. But Edward was the second son, and in any case the family's wealth had been severely reduced by his father. Rev. Mark Noble, in his 1787 book 'Memoirs of the Protectoral House of Cromwell' relates (Vol2 p140) the misfortunes of Richard Whalley, father of Edward, and goes on to say: 'Q. Elizabeth permitted him,...to alienate...[various granges and manors] to Edw. Osborne, citizen and clothworker, of London and having first inclosed, he mortgaged, and in the end was obliged to sell, the lordship of Sibthorpe, with other lands in Canolston, Hawkesworth, and Flintham, which were only a collateral security with Sibthorpe;' I include this quotation because of its mention of Flintham, and of a certain person who bought a lot of property from the Whalley family, who was a citizen and clothworker of London. This brings me to the final point. 5) Edward Whalley the Regicide probably had something to do with the cloth industry, and Stepney was an area of cloth weaving. Rev Sam says simply that Edward was brought up in merchanise in London. Rev Mark Noble says (Vol 2 p143) 'Edw. Whalley, esq. was brought up to merchandize; Heath says, he was put apprentice to a woollen-draper; some other writer calls him a broken clothier; a thing almost impossible, when the grandeur and wealth of his family and father are considered; another writer, no more a friend than Heath to him, acknowledges that he was a merchant;' The parish of Stepney included Spitalfields, where French Huguenots (Protestants) founded silk weaving. The Stepney marriage register for the year 1627 (which includes the Edward Whalley marriage) has about 400 entries. This is 800 people, of course, but the occupations are recorded for the men only. I counted 20 weavers, 13 silkweavers, 2 tinnieweavers,5 silk throsters, 5 clothworkers, and various other trades such as haberdasher, tailor, hatmaker, feltmaker, needlemaker, theadmaker, glover, dyer, and so on, in total 73 out of 400 occupations to do with the cloth or clothing trade. I think this proves the point. Sorry this note turned out to be rather long; but I hope it is of interest. Frank Whalley Cardiff, Wales, UK