Bridget Swancott

Events

Date of Birth: unknown.

Place of Birth: unknown.

I have not come across a record of Bridget’s baptism.

Date of Death: unknown.

Place of Death: unknown.

Relationships

Father: Richard Swancott.

Mother: Ann Mills.

See the Commentary section. 

Spouse: Andrew Brees. Married 28 May 1683 in Llanidloes, Montgomeryshire.

The marriage is recorded in the bishop's transcripts to parish registers.

Children:

(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project. All baptisms and burials were at Trefeglwys.)

Ann Brees (baptized 23 December 1684 - buried 29 December 1684).

Mary Brees (baptized 23 December 1684 - buried 29 December 1684).

Andrew Brees (baptized 25 January 1685/6 - buried 7 April 1753) married (1) Ann Meredith; married (2) Mary Evans.

Richard Brees (baptized 23 April 1688).

Samuel Brees (baptized 19 August 1690).

John Brees (baptized 26 March 1695).

Bridget Brees (baptized 29 March 1700).

John Brees (baptized 2 February 1704).

Evidence

from the bishop's transcripts to the Llanidloes parish register:

1683

Nuptia celebrata fuerant inter Andreham B… Bridgettam Swancot 28mo die Maij

Commentary

Bridget’s parentage:

Bridget’s first child was baptized in 1684 and her last child was baptized in 1704. This suggests that she was probably born between about 1655 and 1668.

There are two candidates. 

1. John Swancott had an illegitimate daughter baptized in 1668 in Trefeglwys.

2. In his 1677 will, John Mills of Llandinam named “my Sonne in Lawe Richard Swancott and Anne his wife”. He also named his grandchildren Philipp, Jonathan, Richard, Samuell, Benjamin, and Bridget Swancott. The baptisms of the boys, and of a couple of children who died young, and of a couple born after the will, are recorded in the Llanwyddelan and Llanidloes parish registers starting in 1663. The baptism of Bridget does not appear, but as the baptisms of the other children are consistently spaces about two years apart, Bridget was presumably born shortly before 1663.

There are a number of reasons to prefer (2):

Age at marriage. (1) would be about 15 at the time of the 1683 marriage, but (2) would be slightly older than 20. 

Place of marriage. Andrew Brees and Bridget Swancott were married at Llanidloes. This would be expected if (2) were Bridget, since her family lived in Llandiloes. It is harder to explain if (1) is Bridget, since in that case both Andrew and Bridget would be from Trefeglwys.

Name of eldest daughter and  second son. The eldest daughter was traditionally named after the mother’s mother, and the second son was traditionally named after the mother’s father, although this was very far from a universal rule. Andrew and Bridget’s eldest daughter was names Ann and their second son was named Richard.

The 1684 will of Ann Beversley.  Ann Beversley named (1) in her will. (Ann was the aunt of (1)’s mother.) (1) was named “Bridget Swancott” in this will, and thus was unmarried after the 1683 marriage between Andrew Brees and Bridget Swancott.

The evidence that the parents of the Bridget Swancott of this page were Richard Swancott and Ann Mills is thus good enough.

References

Llanidloes parish register. Digital copy at Findmypast.co.uk, accessed 23 December 2017.

Montgomeryshire Marriages and Banns Transcription. Montgomeryshire Genealogical Society. Available on Findmypast.co.uk, accessed 24 December 2017.

Trefeglwys parish register. Digital copy at Findmypast.co.uk, accessed 23 December 2017.

Will of John Mills, yeoman of Llandinam, Montgomeryshire. Proved 1671 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.

Will of Ann Beversley. Proved 1684.

Will of Roger Beversley of Trefegloos, Montgomeryshire. Proved 1701 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.