Stumped as to what this place name could be

Given the rather creative spellings here, I wonder if it's a phonetic representation of Oldbury?* This was in Worcestershire, though right on the Staffordshire boundary. Moreover, since it appears to have been in the West Bromwich (Staffordshire) Poor Law Union and Registration District, there could have been some confusion.

*I'm trying to turn over in my mind a possible local pronunciation for Oldbury, and thinking that locals must drop an initial 'h' - is that so? If it is, then those whose spelling is weak might write one when they shouldn't - see also 'Hatherstone' on the second line up of the whole page image.
 
I found three that could fit from 'a survey and analysis of place names of Staffordshire':
The Holden (Houldon) 1 mile east of Burslem.
Holditch
Holedale, near Hyde Lea.
Other than that, I have worn out all possible places.
 
After studying the whole Census page the best I could do is, I think the first four letters spell Hold, the 5th letter looks like a r, the last letter looks like a s, which would possibly be Holdrs which doesn't look right unless it's an abbreviated name.
 
I'm with Arthur on this one. The enumerator has definitely added an 'H' to Atherstone at the bottom of the page, so possibly also to this one.
But the 'RS' at the end is puzzling me ...

Could it possibly be ALREWAS? I've always wondered how it is pronounced by the locals. And it's in Staffordshire.

Jane
 
kernowmaid said:
Could it possibly be ALREWAS? I've always wondered how it is pronounced by the locals. And it's in Staffordshire.

Jane
Click to expand...

I live not all that far from Alrewas, it's pronounced Al-ree-wos.

Had a brief look for Emma and Mary Ann in 1881 but didn't come across anything obvious.

This may be a red herring but I did find a William Smith of the right age and profession in the Walsall area in 1881 though. His POB is given as Alrewas!!
 
Alrewas gave me an idea so I had a look in the parish listing at Genuki.

How about Aldridge? As well as being indisputably in Staffordshire, it's very close to Pelsall, where the census was taken.
 
Can I clutch at straws in the desperate hope that this is the William Smith I am looking for?

Given the spelling etc on the page could it be a nickname for the Shugborough estate which at that time was in the hands of the Ansons? The William I am after was born in Milford.
 
arthurk said:
How about Aldridge? As well as being indisputably in Staffordshire, it's very close to Pelsall, where the census was taken
Click to expand...
Don't think it is Aldridge as the third entry on the page for a Maria West has her POB as Aldridge with almost the right spelling
 
WelchRegLost said:
Don't think it is Aldridge as the third entry on the page for a Maria West has her POB as Aldridge with almost the right spelling
Click to expand...
Drat - missed that!

But given the rest of the page, we have to assume either that the enumerator was copying exactly what householders had written on their returns, spelling mistakes and all, or that he himself couldn't spell. His handwriting is quite good, so I incline towards the former, and this could easily lead to variants of the same place name on the same page.

Is there any evidence on other pages, or in the street names or summary bits that the enumerator completed in his own words, that would point either way?
 
Three pieces of lateral thinking have found precisely nothing :headbang:

1. Browsing the 1871 Pelsall census returns in the hope of finding someone else with the same POB or other clues came to nothing.
2. Searches for a marriage between a John Parker & Emma in Staffordshire/Warwickshire/Worcestershire 1860-1870 found 5.
3. Searches to find Mary/Mary Ann's birth registration to determine which marriage found no hits for any of the 5 possibles.

One other puzzler on the census sheet is that John's POB appears to be given as Polesworth. If so, this is in North Warwickshire, about 8 miles east of Tamworth, and nowhere near Worcestershire.

Welcome to the Society for the Relatives of Awkward Cusses. :rolleyes:
 
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