Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

I have been informed of a burial at St Peters Church, Liverpool in June 1765, of a Percival Massey. Lab.

This ties in with a will I have for a Pershall Massey, Gent. (born 1703 in Rostherne, Cheshire) dated June 1765 and a probate of 4th July 1765.
This man appears to be a cloth merchant of some sort, and leaves several bequests, including a sum of money to the Methodist Chapel in Liverpool, his two widowed sisters- Elizabeth Evans, and Dorothy Frodsham, both of Liverpool.
Also to Maccarty Dennis a roper, and his wife Massey Dennis of Liverpool.
( I cant guess what name she was known by, but its quite clear in the will) .

The main beneficiary being Jonathan Eccleston of Liverpool and his wife Martha.

I have not found anything on these people on line searching, and I wondered if anyone can help ?
Thank you.

Sorry nothing jumping out at me in the old newspapers.

mj wrote:I have been informed of a burial at St Peters Church, Liverpool in June 1765, of a Percival Massey. Lab.

This ties in with a will I have for a Pershall Massey, Gent. (born 1703 in Rostherne, Cheshire) dated June 1765 and a probate of 4th July 1765.

The dates are a good match but are the occupations? or am I misreading the first name - Lab?

Have checked the 1766 and 1796 directories but the names aren't listed
There are Ecclestons listed but not Jonathan

Sorry not to have been any help

For the crew.. this query has been around a while.
See: http://www.ancestryaid.co.uk/boards/hel ... erica.html

I only see a tenuous connection between the burial and the will; that of the surname. If 'Percival Massey, Lab' means labourer he could hardly be a 'gent' and a merchant wealthy enough to leave bequests.

I havnt see the actual entry in the register -only the transcription on the St Peters entry on the Lancs PR web site.

The will is dated 8th day of June 1765, the probate 4th july 1765, and the burial 13th June 1765. So fit...(He was born in 1703 so 62).
I can see the name might translate as Percival- he may have been know as Percy!

The other names on the will are - his older sisters, Dorothy Frodsham,& Elizabeth Evans, widows of Liverpool, (aged 73 & 71).

Then Maccarty Dennis and his wife Massey Dennis and thier son William Dennis.
Dorothy wife of Wiiliam Marsh. Alice Derbyshire, Martha wife of Jonathan Eccleston, George Evans, John Hope. and the Trustees of the Methodist Chappell in Liverpool. Which I take to be Pitt Street ?
He talks about a piece of cloth to be devided into fifths, dont know what that might be,silk? as well as annuities and a small messauge to be bought for 3 ladies to share!

Hi Mj,
The actual entry on the LOPC site reads thus:
Burial: 13 Jun 1765 St Peter, Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Percival Massey - Occupation: Labr.
Register: Burials 1754 - 1765, Page 164, Entry 14
Source: LDS Film 1656376

The deceased was apparently a labourer. Not the same person as Pershall Massey, 'gent' and merchant.

Yes thats right, but is the transcription from the actual register correct?

If it was a Cheshire PR entry I should buy a photocopy of the actual page of the register, but I dont think its possible with the Lancashire ones at Preston..

mj wrote:Yes thats right, but is the transcription from the actual register correct?

If it was a Cheshire PR entry I should buy a photocopy of the actual page of the register, but I dont think its possible with the Lancashire ones at Preston..

I would think that the transcriptions are a lot more accurate than we are used to with censuses and other sources which were transcribed by commercial entities. The entry quotes a CLDS Film number which indicates it was taken from the Mormon database. You might be able to order the film and view it at your nearest Church of Latterday Saints centre.

I have checked on Ancestry as you probably have yourself and that year isn't available. St Peter's Parish Registers are at the Liverpool Record Office.

Lancashire Record Office only has a film of the BTs for St Peter, the film of the original register is at Liverpool Record Office. You should contact them and purchase a copy from them.

Thank you all for the help in this matter, I shall contact LRO, for information. Some of the films for this period, and of course the documents are in very poor condition, I have a copy of an Indenture before marriage, 1630- that looks nice and easy, but the letters are differents so while some words are Ok to read. others appear to be another language.

Just have to keep trying!, Anyway there are few people mentioned in the will that sound interesting, so onwards and upwards.

Like others I too would think it very unlikely that a labourer was making a will with thse kinds of bequests. Not all Liverpool Church burials are available on line.

As the will says he is of Liverpool, and mentions the Methodist Church bequest, can you suggest which church yard would he have been buried in?
Its quite a small time frame I suppose - the period between the will and probate is-
8th June - 4th July 1765.

Did the Methodist chapel have a grave yard at this period do you know?

Thank you

mj wrote:I have a copy of an Indenture before marriage, 1630- that looks nice and easy, but the letters are different so while some words are Ok to read. others appear to be another language.

Just have to keep trying!, Anyway there are few people mentioned in the will that sound interesting, so onwards and upwards.

For deciphering old script, particularly legal which used a lot of letters similar to 'Old' German... what looks like a cursive f for an s and an upper case B with a tail for a double s, I find this site a help:
https://www.google.com/search?q=old+cop ... 53&bih=798

Difficult at that date, I have checked Gibsons Epitaphs, but there is nothing for your man.

We have attempted to collect together a list of Burials, Graves, MI's sites here http://www.forum.liverpool-genealogy.or ... 27s#p97137 although many of them are for much later dates, although there are many churchyards that would have burials far earlier of course, I don't know about the Methodist Church, perhaps it would be worthwhile sending them an email to ask.

I think a search through one of the sites mentioned on that page would be interesting the Old Mersey Times site http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/ has a huge variety of entries, too many to be able to catalogue.

You can find what is available by using Liverpool Record Office online catalogue. I would suggest either using just Methodist or Pitt Street (only because you mention it) as the search category. Be aware that many non conformist registers have been lost over the years.

Unfortunately the search engine for the LRO appears to be down at the moment. Use this link when it is back up and running.
http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/libraries-a ... y-history/