HELP ON A MISCRIBING IN CENSUS

H

hazgraz

New Member
In the 1881 census Kate Metson is recorded as being born in Durham which is definitely a mistranslation of the area. I cannot seem to make out the actual place. Can anyone please help?

Details are as follows:
1881 census
Kate Metson daughter of Henry Metson and Mary A Metson. Dunmow Essex,

Many thanks

Alan
 
It looks very much like Wareham to me - but that doesn't make sense either! o_O

RG11, Piece number 1813, Folio 61, Page 35
upload_2015-11-5_19-55-43.png
 
Are you sure it's a mistranscription? It looks like Durham, Durham to me.

There's a birth registration of Katie Elizabeth Metson in the Durham district in Mar qtr 1875, ref. 10a 382 (found by searching on Metson only). The other 3 Metson births in that quarter were in Essex, suggesting that it is a fairly localised surname - yet here there are two consistent bits of evidence which seem to suggest that a Metson family were in Durham for a time. Worth following up, I'd have thought...
 
I thought maybe Weveham at first but the 'W' looks very like the 'D' in Durham? Deviham. Is it also in Essex?
 
Why would she be born in Durham when the previous child and succeeding siblings were born in Essex also there is a Kate Metson born in 1872 and recorded as Braintree on the GRO? She was christened on the 2 May at Castle Hedingham Essex
 
I'm with Arthur. There is a Kate E Metson working as a general servant in the household of Henry Knight, High Street, Great Dunmow in the 1891 census. She is 16 years old. Her place of birth is the City of Durham. It has to be her but there's obviously a bit more work to be done!

RG12/1428/46/16
 
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hazgraz said:
Why would she be born in Durham when the previous child and succeeding siblings were born in Essex
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That would be something for you to find out, and the best way to do this would be to order the birth certificate for the Katie born in Durham to see if the parents match.
also there is a Kate Metson born in 1872 and recorded as Braintree on the GRO? She was christened on the 2 May at Castle Hedingham Essex
Click to expand...
Maybe, but the Kate you asked about was given as aged 6 in the 1881 census. In any case, Durham seems so random that they'd be highly unlikely to put it unless it was true. And the GRO index suggests it could well be (to say nothing of the 1891 census).
 
It has happened that one or two children of a Family were born elsewhere. Perhaps a years travel for work or visiting family or friends even such a long distance. [in England ;)]
 
Kate Elizabeth Metson married Harry Ernest Charlick in Chelmsford Registration District in 1896 and she is living with him in both the 1901 and 1911 censuses. In both of these her birthplace is given as Durham. As Arthur has said, the birth certificate is the first thing you should get hold of for any clues it may yield up.
 
Interestingly there is a family tree on Ancestry which gives her date of birth as 17 August 1874 (and her death as 14 August 1932). If that is right, and you have to be very careful trusting any information on these family trees, then it implies that hers was a late birth registration (see post 3 above) as it should have been registered in either the July-September Quarter or the September-December Quarter 1874 (i.e. within 6 weeks after the birth). It might be worth bearing this in mind if you get the birth certificate.
 
I think the Kate Metson born 1872 is the daughter of Robert & Mary Ann Metson and was born Essex.
Funny when you look at full image for 1881 census the first letter is nothing like the D of any other words such as Dunmow etc it looks more like a w but even then not exactly same as w in Wethersfield ..........but both words I feel are the same :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Places in Essex starting with W and ending in ham are Witham and West Ham.

There are other places which are prefixed with word which begins with a W and have ham in them but are two word places (7 in this category) e.g. Waltham Cross, Wickham Bishops, Woodham Ferres. Then there is Little & Great Waltham and that's it.
 
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