What Does this Say?

MollyMay

Knows where to find the answers!
This is an extract from London Poor Law removal and settlement Records.
Thomas Salter in 1856 I can read all of it, apart from one phrase.

upload_2022-1-24_19-46-53.png


Here is a bigger snippet so you can see more of the handwriting and context
upload_2022-1-24_19-48-13.png

Thank you
 
Hmm... original a bit clearer (but not much!)

Frequent punctuation would be a big help too. :) So - to summarise - hath four children still living (to late wife Susannah), Susannah who is 20 now and living in this house with base child Matilda... Ellen 8, Emma 5.

Three words... the first I think it is an abbreviation, possibly starting in 'e', ending in 't'. Second looks like 'never'.
 
Last edited:
Ok, I read it as Claim't' (claimant) never & c
but that makes no sense, and I am far from sure that the first letter/s before 'aim' and the superscript t is cl.
Thomas was a fellowship porter (whatever that is) and had been widowed and left with 4 daughters, the oldest already being in the workhouse with her son,
the (BC in the above).
 
The word seems to appear from time to time, and I can't make it out. I'm looking back over the previous entries, some of which are in a different hand. This is glaringly obvious, I'm sure.

Examine. Examinant (?)

I'm going with Examinant, abbreviated. 'Examinant never ... (?)'
 
Last edited:
I considered it being examinant, but it doesn't look like the previous abbreviation
upload_2022-1-24_21-20-59.png
 
Could it be 'Examinant remembers his' and the registrar has then amended 'his' (referring to his father) to 'he says his father'? Therefore it doesn't actually make sense anyway and it's a clerical error. There is definitely an amended word.

'He remembers his' (father).. then becomes 'He says he thinks his father belonged to B.G.'.
 
Can you put up another couple of examples of the
word please for comparison?
 
This is the whole entry

upload_2022-1-24_22-9-0.png

I have looked on the following pages (this is the only one on that page with ths handwriting) but cannot see anything that looks similar.
 
I think it’s ‘E(x)am(inan)t never etc’ with the etc standing for ‘showed just cause’, but these poor law records contain so many weird and wonderful abbreviations, a lot has to be second guessed :reading::confused:
 
I think it’s ‘E(x)am(inan)t never etc’ with the etc standing for ‘showed just cause’, but these poor law records contain so many weird and wonderful abbreviations, a lot has to be second guessed

I suppose the thought never crossed their minds that over 150 years later someone would want to read and understand their entries:eek::nailbiting:;)
 
Back
Top