Need help reading a single letter in an English record from 1614
Reference batch MSGZ-BRF, an English nonconformist record. On left page of image, note burials dated 25 May 1614 and 8 June 1614 (indexing entry numbers 35 & 40, "Alexr" and "Samuell") What is the first letter of these two individuals surnames? I am reviewing and haven't seen this orthography before. The indexer considers the surname's first letter a capital "I" as in India, rendering the names as 'Inghame" and "Ingham." The capital I's and J's I have encountered in the past are typically formed identically, but please note how the cleric writes the first letter of the month of June. The cleric's "J" is not remotely similar to the first letter of the surname. Please note the letter in question looks identical to the first part of the abbreviation the cleric is using in each entry for "the", as in "the" 8th of June. To the casual observer, how the cleric writes "the" when giving the dates of burial, appears to be the word "ye," but is instead a compressed form of the letters t, h, and e. This makes me wonder if the surnames actually begin with "Th." Appreciate any help.
Answers
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I do not have an answer but am posting a clip so people can see it and your thoughts at the same time. Alexe is the top name here and Samuell is the bottom name.
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Hello,
I think it's possible it's actually a "y", not the thorn symbol for "th". If you look at the line above the entry for Alexr, there is a name "Hollywell" in which the "y" is written exactly as the "y" in "ye" (the), and there is a surname "Taylor" further down which has the exact same letter.
I think the most likely interpretation is "Ynghame" or "Yngham".
I hope this helps
Hilary.
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