LONDON LIFE BY WAY OF ENTRIES IN PARISH REGISTERS

Birth and Death, Seventeenth-Century Style:

On the 27th of June, 1568, James Roberts, recently made free of the company of stationers, married Martha Knight in the parish of St. Gregory by St Paul's, not far from where Roberts worked as a printer in Fleet Street (St. Gregory by St. Paul's: 1568/06/27 marriage <Iames Robertes and Martha Knight). The couple set up housekeeping in the parish of St. Anne Blackfriars, where their first child-a daughter, Alice-was born (1569/04/24 christening <Alice Robarts daughter to James Robarts). By August of 1570, the family had moved to the nearby parish of St. Martin Ludgate, where they were to live for some time. Over the next 11 years, they christened ten more children and buried one:

1570/08/06 christening <The same day [vjth] Was chrystened Iames Robartes the sune of Iames Robartes Stacyon[er], /god: fathers garrett dewce & Rychard Watkins /god: mother Elzabeth Newberye /Curate Ryc- Crosse

1570/12/17 burial <The xvijth day was buryed Anne Robartes the daughter of Iames Robartes Stacyoner

1571/05/11 christening <The xith day was chrystened Anne Robartes the daughter of Iames Robartes Stacyoner

1573/07/26 christening <The xxvjth day was chrystened Robart Robartes the sonne of Iames Robartes boocbinder

1574/08/24 christening <The xxiiijth day was chrystened Lewce Robartes the daughter of Iames Robartes stacyoner

1575/02/08 christening <The viij day was Chrystened dorethe Robartes the daughter of Iames Robartes Stacyoner

1577/05/10 christening <The xth day was chrystened Rychard Robartes the sune of Iames Robartes Stacyoner

1578/05/19 christening <The xixth day was chrystened Ambrose Robartes the sune of Iames Robartes Stacyoner

1579/06/03 christening <The iijth day was chrystened Elsabeth Robartes the daughter off Iames Robartes Stacyoner

1580/07/29 christening <The xxixth day was chrystened Margret Robartes

1581/10/15 christening <The xvth day was Chrystened Iames Robartes the daughter of Iames Robartes Stacyoner

Thomas Creede and his wives were not as fortunate; though they had more children than the Robertses, they buried almost every one. With his first wife, Dorothy, Thomas christened and buried the following children:

1577/12/27 christening <Avies Cride ye dowghter of Thomas Creede Chrystened ye xxvij december (St. Giles Cripplegate)

1580/07/03 christening <Iohn Creede the Sonne of Thomas Creede (All Hallows London Wall)

1580/08/03 burial <Iohn Creede the sonne of Thomas Creede was buried the third of August (All Hallows London Wall)

1585/03/20 christening <Marye Creed daughter of Thomas Creed printer the 20 (St. Giles Cripplegate)

1585/04/18 burial <Iane Creed daughter of Thomas Creed stationer the 18 (St. Giles Cripplegate)

1585/11/23 burial <Tomasin Creed daughter of Thomas Creed stationer the 23 (St. Giles Cripplegate)

1587/04/08 christening <Iohn Creed sonne of Thomas Cred stationer the 8 (St. Giles Cripplegate)

In January of 1588, Dorothy Creede died (1587/01/18 burial <Doryete Creed wife of Thomas Creed stationer the 18 [St. Giles Cripplegate]). In July, Thomas married again (1588/07/07 marriage <Thomas Creed and Margery Kinge the 7 [St. Giles Cripplegate]).

He and Margery moved to St. Lawrence Pountney, where they christened and buried the following children:

1593/04/18 christening <Lucretia daughter to Thomas Cred Printer

1594/08/28 burial <Lucretia Cread a Child

1595/03/30 christening <Thomas son of Tho. Cred stacionr

1596/05/02 christening <ffraunces son of Thoma-s Cred Stacion}

1597/03/01 christening <Henry son of Thoma-s Crede printr

1599/07/22 christening <Iane daughter of Thomas Cred Prnter

1599/12/24 burial <Henry son. to Thomas Cred stasioner

By February 1602, the Creedes had moved to St. Mary Magdalene Old Fish St., where they christened and buried the following children:

1603/03/11 christening <Elsabeth Creed the daughter of Thomas crede

1601/02/07 christening <George Creed the sonne of Thomas creed

1605/05/29 burial <Thomas Creed the sonne of Thomas creed

1606/05/18 christening <Susanna Creed the daughter of Thomas Crede

1606/05/21 burial <Susanna Creed the daughter of Thomas creed

1608/08/28 christening <Thomas Creede the sonne of thomas creede

1608/09/06 burial <Thomas Creede the sonne of thomas creede

1609/01/14 christening <William Crede the sonne of Thomas Crede

1609/10/31 burial <george Crede the sonne of Thomas crede

1609/11/01 burial <Elsebeth Crede the daughter of thomas crede

In 1615, Margery herself died (1615/08/22 burial <Margrett Creede the wife of Thomas Creede), and Thomas followed soon after (1616/11/22 burial <Thomas Creed houshoulder was buryed the xxij daye of november).

These patterns represent the two extremes of family size: in both, there are many children, born within one to two years of each other; in one, most of the children died, if not in infancy then in childhood.