Fenech + Buttigieg 1696

Ottobre 1696

Die decima tertia Octobris 1696 Denuntiationibus premisis tribus diebus fassiuis(?) quarum pa. fuit die 23 7bris 1696, 2a fuit die 29 eiusdem, 3a fuit die 30 puedicti ing missae parrochilais solemnia habita, nulloq. legitimo impedimento detecto. Ego Sylvius Paci parochus Ecclesia parrochialis Casalis Attard Laurentius Fenech filius legitimus et naturalem qdm. Vincentii Fenech et Maria viventis obim coniugi ex Parrochia Casalis Attard, et Gratia virgine, filia legitima et naturalem Ignatii Butigieg, et Catharina coniugi ex eadel Parrochia, interrogavi, corumque mutuo consensu habit(?) per verba de presenti matrimonio coniunxi presentibus testibus artis(?) Angelo Debono sacrista, et Joanne Camilleri et postea in celebrazione missa ex vitu S. Matris Ecclesia Ego Parochus qui supra benedixit.

October 1696
13th October 1696 marriage banns made firstly on 23rd September 1696, secondly on 29th of the same month, third on the 30th .... no legal impediment detected. I Sylvius Pace parish priest of the parish church of Attard interviewed Lawrence Fenech legitimate and natural son of the late Vincent Fenech and his widow Maria from the parish of Attard, and Gratia virgin, legitiamte and natural daughter of Ignatius Butigieg and his wife Catherine from the same parish. who verbally gave their mutual consent for this wedding in front of Angelo Debono sacristan and John Camilleri. At the end of the celebrated mass in the church of St Mary, I the above mentioned parish priest, gave my blessings.

There is a bit of a quandary here. The marriage is dated 1696, but their daughter (Rosa Fenech below) was born 2 years earlier, in 1694. In her baptismal record, Gratia is mentioned as being the wife of her father Lawrence (which she would not have been if she only married 2 years later) and in this marriage record Gratia is said to be a virgin (thus would not have had kids yet).

The truth is I could not find any other couple marrying in Attard with the names of Lawrence Fenech and Gratia. Moreover , Rosa is said to be the legitimate daughter of her father in her wedding's record.

This leads to two possibilities: either Rosa's parents were not married in Attard, thus the absence of their marriage record - or they married after having Rosa, whilst the Church buried it under regular wordings to hide the scandal.

But how can I, 300 years later, try to uncover the truth? An impossible task really. What I might do is to take a family profile (look up all the children born to a Lawrence and Gratia) and see if there are any overlapping pregnancies (babies being born within 6 months or less of each other) which would mean that there were two couples named Lawrence Fenech and Gratia in Attard, one of them married elsewhere.

I could also look at the godparents of the baptised children to seek some common links.

Watch this space!