Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-11-29
MELTOR'S MOTHER.

The following letter appears in the
London 4f5eReRm:
THE parentage of the mother of the
poet Milton has been, believe, until the
present time, a matter of great uncer
tainty. Professor Mason, in 1859, was
unable to determine from the conflicting
testimony whether she was originally a
Jeferys, a CASTOR, or Bradshaw or
whether one of these being her maiden
name, she had, before becoming the wife
of the poets father, borne by prior mar
riage one or both Of the others. His
conclusion was, however, that her maid
en- name was Bradshaw, and the conflict
ing testimony was reeoneiled by suppos-
ing that she might have married JEFF
ferys or a CASTOR, or both, before becom.
ing the wife of the serivener of Al
Hallows, Bread street.
a discovery recently made by me,
while searching among,,the old marriage
allegations in the Bishop of London's
registry, enables me, think, to set this
question at rest The record, stripped
of its mere yerbiage, is briefly as fol-
lows
"'On the 2Sth of August, 1902, Viii
liam Truelove, of Hatfield -Peyerill, in
the county of Essex, gentleman, aged
about forty years, and had been a widow
er about seven years, alleged that he in
tended TO marry Margaret Jefreys Of
Newton Hall, in Great Dunmow, in the
county Of Essex, a maiden, aged about
twenty years, the daughter of Paul JEFF
flays. of the parish of St. Switbin's,
London. merchant tailor, deceased, with
the consent of her mother, Ellen JEFF
frays. widow, whose consent was attested
by John Milton, of the parish of All
HalloEs, Bread street, London, who
married the sister of the said Margaret.
Unfortunately the early parish regis
ters of st. SRithin's are hOpelessly lost,
and [ have searched in vain for the will
of Paul Jeffrays, not only among the
records Of the Perogatiye Court of Can
terbury, but also among those of all the
minor courts Of probate OF the period.
His widow-of course the one whose
consent is mentioned ia the foregoing al
legation-was buried, as is well known, at
All Hallows, Bread street, on the 22d of
February, l6l0-1l, as Mrs Ellen JEFF
freys, the mother of Mr.. John Mylton's
wife bat she also appears to have left
no will.
"The variations in the orthography of
the name are unimportant, and, taking
this burial record and the marriage al
legation together, nothing, think, can
be clearer than that the poets mother
was the daughter of Paul Jeffray Cor
Jefferys,) merchant tailor, of st. Swith-
5, who died before 1902, and of Ellen
his wife, who survived him and was
buried at All Hallows in l6t0-ll.
1T Is barely possible that before mar
rying the peets father she may have
already been q wife, though the age of
her sister Margaret initiates against the
suggestion that she had been twice mar
ried before 1900 (the probable date of
her marriage to John Milton, the elder J
but, if necessary still to pay any regard
to the greatly confused traditions con-
cerning this point, it seems more reason
able to suppose that it was her mother,
and not herself, who was originally a
CASTOR or Bradshaw, and had married
Bradshaw or CASTOR before becoming
the wife Of Paul Jefrays.
JOSEPH LENUEL CHESTER.