A Theory Rejected

No Facts That John Muncy/Margaret Huggin Were Parents of Francis

There are frequent references on Internet sites, including Ancestry, that Francis Muncy was the son of John Muncy (Monsy) and Margaret Huggin who were married 28 Oct 1619 in Melbourne, Cambridgeshire, England. Unfortunately this theory appears to have “snowballed” in genealogical listings without any attempt to prove it as fact. I do not believe this is correct and should be rejected for the following reasons:

1. There is no proof or circumstantial evidence at all that Francis was a son of John and Margaret, and there is no logical theory put forth that might offer justification of this claim.
2. Francis was probably born in the time period between 1630-1635. Margaret Huggin Muncy’s last KNOWN child was Benjamin Muncy, born January 1629. Margaret died in December 1631. While it is POSSIBLE that Margaret could have had another male child between the time Benjamin was born and her death, the timing is certainly short.
3. There are no significant gaps in the parish recordings of the children of John and Margaret and the recording of Margaret’s death into which Francis might logically fit. It seems highly unlikely that Benjamin’s baptism would be recorded in 1629 and Margaret’s death recorded in December 1631 without a record of baptism of a child in the intervening period.
4. There are other far more likely parents in Cambridgeshire during that period than John and Margaret Muncy of Melbourne.

One possibility is that Francis was the unrecorded child of John Muncy and Martha Chokle. This is fully described in “Francis Muncy: A Historical Narrative.” While this cannot yet be proven, this theory is more logical than attempting a “fit” with John and Margaret Muncy in Melbourne. Other theories may be logically presented in the future – but until some logical arguments are put forth for the parentage of John Muncy and Margaret Huggin, this claim should be rejected.

 

Steve Muncy, November, 2015