Tim Farr February 2018 Report

41 ordinances were shared with the temple system in February. All the ordinances were from the downlines of Samuel Farr son of our Stephen Farr Sr. I have been able to add a large number of people to this downline that don't qualify for ordinances because of the date restrictions.

In firming up our itinerary with Steve Farr in Belgium, he asked why I wanted to go to the Luton Museum and Dunstable Priory. I told him about the Register of The Fraternity of St. John The Baptist that is available at the Luton Museum (known now as the Wardown Park Museum) and that it had listed in it John Fayrey the cousin of our last proven ancestor John Fayre. Steve has been trying to take a few things off our itinerary to make the trip a little more relaxed so he called the Wardown Museum and found out that they had an interactive digital copy that they use in the Museum. Steve put me in contact with the person over the register and he sent me the interactive program of the register! 

While going through the 27 pages of this ancient register, I found not only the name of John Fayre merchant and stapler, cousin of our John Fayre, joining the fraternity in 1522 but also found the name of Rychard ffarre, the brother of our John Fayre, joining in 1533. Rychard ffarre and his wife Agnes and his son John rented Woburn Abbey for 40 years and would have to have been well to do in order to do this. We know that John Fayre/Fayrey Merchant and Stapler of Calais was well to do but it appears now that his cousin Rychard Farre was also. 

When I got to page 23 of the register, I was shocked to see the name of "Sir William Buckley Preste" (Priest). Considering the date of abt 1538/9 and the fact that he was a priest, it could be William Bulkeley the great grandfather of our Frances Bulkley and her brother Rev. Peter Bulkeley of Concord, MA. Frances and Peter Bulkeley's father was the Rev. Edward Bulkeley of Odell, Bedfordshire! Not all of the members of the fraternity were from Bedfordshire, many were from other areas like Lincoln, Surrey etc. I will have to do more research to pin the William Buckley in the register as our direct ancestor, but right now it looks very suspect.

The Fraternity of St. John the Baptist at Dunstable was established in 1475. It's surviving register only covers three periods: 1506-1508, 1522 and 1525-1541. There are 83 vellum pages some of which are incomplete. The book lists the names of members. 

Tim