NO. VI
CATHOLIC REGISTERS OF ST. ELIZABETH'S CHURCH, RICHMOND, SURREY CONTRIBUTED BY MISS AGNES DOLAN AND JOSEPH S. HANSOM THE registers are in charge of the Rev. George Barrett , D.D., M.R. , who fortunately found them in a heap of rubbish ready to be destroyed, when he took possession in 1901 ! The contents are now safely in print. He has kindly allowed us to copy and collate them down to the end of Fr. Peters
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time, when they end conveniently two years after compulsory registration of birth on 1 July 1837. They extend to 24 Dec. 1854. Except for wilful excisions they are in good condition , consisting of two books and one loose paper copy. The first is a paper book 71 by 6 inches, bound in vellum , the pagination being given below. The first entry now extant is in 1794 ; but the first four pages have been cut out . The Rev. Dr. Barrett throws some light on these in his contribution to the Kingston and Richmond edition of the Shield of January and February 1905 (Salesian Press , Battersea) . Quoting from a work entitled Anne Paule Dominique de Noailles , Marquise de Montague ) he shews that Madame la Marquise gave birth to a son on the (Paris, 1864 very day, Easter Sunday, 30 March 1793, on which the chapel was opened, and that his baptism was the first on the registers. He was named Alexander, the god-parents being Monsieur le duc de la Rochefoucault-Doudeauville and Madamoiselle Alexandrine de la Luzerne. It is not stated whether the baptism took place on the same day. Supposing a page was given to the title, that the statement of persons and titles of celebrant, parents and sponsors , circumstance of exile, and witnesseswas as long as the first extant entry, occupying a page and a half, we may perhaps assume that only few entries have been regrettablylost. The second book is similar to the first, the paper being 7 by 6 inches. The first folio and the top of the second have been cut off, but the next is numbered one ; so possibly no entries are lost. A single sheet, paged also two and three, has been sewn on page two, and indicated in the text. The third is a loose paper copy paged 29 to 52, size 7 by 6 inches. This , being the same as part of the second book, is not printed ; but some additions or variants are given in foot -notes . The dates are from 7 Jan. 1816 to 16 July 1838. The registers of the neighbouring mission of Cheam are printed in C.R.S., vol . ii . Some names may recur here. Mr. Gillow gives the following historical notes from his collections. A. D. J. S. H. When , in 1501, Henry VII . had nearly rebuilt the old palace of the Plantagenets at Sheen , he renamed it Richmond , from his Tudor earldom of Richmond in Yorkshire , of which he was the second holder . It again became a favourite residence of the royal family, and this , combined with the natural beauties of the locality as well as its vicinity to London and Westminster , induced many Catholic families of position to settle here during the days of persecution.* Its accessibility by road or river made
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Sir Henry Bedingfeld, knight, mar. at Richmond 11 July 1609 Elizabeth Howe (as queried by Mr. Bruce Bannerman, the editor ), who would be Elizabeth , dau. of Lord William Howardof Naworth Castle ( Richmond Registers, Surrey Par. Reg. Soc.). proof of residence, it might have been a temporary one of the bride's. The following burials look more like proofs : 1725 Apr. 28 dame Dorothy Bedingfield . 1750 July 22 Mrs Henrietta Bedingfield . 1751 May 26 Mrs Anne Bedinfield. J. S. H.
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