From the 1743 parish records of Kirkby Malham West Yorkshire, one might have concluded that Thomas Ingles no longer lived there. He was noted as ‘late of Otterburn’ (nearby settlement) which implied he was gone from there. Interestingly, almost 21 years later (ample time to be forgotten in a community) his name surfaced as his daughter Mary was buried. It is a confusing trail to understand as it begs the question, was Thomas alive and still there or not? Unfortunately, the repeating reality of research is that there are always questions and puzzles that can’t be answered.
