I am reposting my interests in the hope that someone might offer some information about the following people. They were possibly Romanies. SIDNEY BOSWELL b 1877 NORTHAMPTON. FREDERICK GASCOIGNE b approx 1858 BEDFORD. ELIZA POULTON b 1878 Frederick's first wife. SUSANNAH B 1866. I have located them on the 1891 and 1901 censuses but have not been able to find a B.M. or D for any of them. Until I find some Birth Marriage or Death certificates for these people I cant move on. I wait with baited breath hoping someone might be able to help. Thankyou, Carol

Hi, I haven't done any research in Bedfordshire, so am not sure what records are easily searchable. Can anyone check the 1841 Census for Henlow, I'm looking for a Samuel Croft (or Craft) and his wife, Susan, and any children. Hope someone can help. Regards Eunice Cubbage

David - Thanks for the info - I see you refer to Craft rather than Croft - were these two names interchangeable ? Eunice David wrote: > Hi Eunice > > Samuel Craft was the elder brother of my 3xg gt aunt Mary Ann Craft b 1808 Henlow who married into my Cooper forebears. He was christened on 30 June 1805 at Henlow, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Craft. Samuel snr was christened at Astwick Beds on 26 June 1768, and he married Elizabeth Bailey at Astwick on 12 Oct 1793. She was born at Ashwell Herts c 1766 (she was aged 85 in 1851). > > Osborn was not a Henlow name and I can't see where Susan was from. She was dead by 1861 where Samuel was a widower but I can't find the family in 1851. I'll carry on digging > > Regards > > David

Carol I think the Romanies are fairly well documented although not as well in official sources. Certainly, the BOSWELLs are documented in Spalding Please try: http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ cathy

Hi Eunice Samuel Craft was the elder brother of my 3xg gt aunt Mary Ann Craft b 1808 Henlow who married into my Cooper forebears. He was christened on 30 June 1805 at Henlow, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Craft. Samuel snr was christened at Astwick Beds on 26 June 1768, and he married Elizabeth Bailey at Astwick on 12 Oct 1793. She was born at Ashwell Herts c 1766 (she was aged 85 in 1851). Osborn was not a Henlow name and I can't see where Susan was from. She was dead by 1861 where Samuel was a widower but I can't find the family in 1851. I'll carry on digging Regards David Eunice Cubbage <eunice@cubbage.plus.com> a écrit : Whilst doing some lookups on my FULFORD ancestors, specifically an Esther Fulford who married into the Timpson family who were originally from Clifton Reynes, Bucks, I may have stumbled upon a Bedford onnection. I have been trying to find out a little about Walter O Croft, who was born at St Pancras around 1840. I was interested in him because in 1901 he has his cousin, Eliza TIMPSON, a widow, living with him in London. ELiza's husband, Isaac Timpson, had died in 1880. I have found Walter Croft in 1891, and living with him was a sister, Jane E Croft (unmarried), also born St Pancras. I then looked on the IGI hoping to find Walter and Jane's births (1840 & 1833-ish, respectively), and have traced Jane to a Samuel Croft and his wife, Susan, nee Osborne, who were married in Henlow, Bedfordshire in 1826 (There - got to the Bedford connection at last!) I am thinking this is a possible connection because Eliza's son, Edward Timpson (who married Esther Augusta Fulford) had the middle name Osborn, and continued the tradition by giving one of his sons, Harry (b.1890) the middle name Osborn, also. (I suspect the O in Walter O Croft is also Osborn) I hope you have followed this so far, I am hoping to hear from anyone who knows anything about Samuel Croft and Susan Osborn, who can confirm any of this. Thanks for reading Regards Eunice Cubbage ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== For any updates our info about the status of this list go to http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com --------------------------------- Nouveau : téléphonez moins cher avec Yahoo! Messenger ! Découvez les tarifs exceptionnels pour appeler la France et l'international.Téléchargez la version beta.

Further to my previous message, some further digging has proved my thinking, Walter Osborn Croft was definitely the son of Samuel Croft, who was born at Henlow Beds around 1805. If anyone on the list is researching OSBORNs from Henlow, I'd love to hear from them. The name EASON (Poss. EASTON) also figures. Thanks Eunice CUbbage

Whilst doing some lookups on my FULFORD ancestors, specifically an Esther Fulford who married into the Timpson family who were originally from Clifton Reynes, Bucks, I may have stumbled upon a Bedford onnection. I have been trying to find out a little about Walter O Croft, who was born at St Pancras around 1840. I was interested in him because in 1901 he has his cousin, Eliza TIMPSON, a widow, living with him in London. ELiza's husband, Isaac Timpson, had died in 1880. I have found Walter Croft in 1891, and living with him was a sister, Jane E Croft (unmarried), also born St Pancras. I then looked on the IGI hoping to find Walter and Jane's births (1840 & 1833-ish, respectively), and have traced Jane to a Samuel Croft and his wife, Susan, nee Osborne, who were married in Henlow, Bedfordshire in 1826 (There - got to the Bedford connection at last!) I am thinking this is a possible connection because Eliza's son, Edward Timpson (who married Esther Augusta Fulford) had the middle name Osborn, and continued the tradition by giving one of his sons, Harry (b.1890) the middle name Osborn, also. (I suspect the O in Walter O Croft is also Osborn) I hope you have followed this so far, I am hoping to hear from anyone who knows anything about Samuel Croft and Susan Osborn, who can confirm any of this. Thanks for reading Regards Eunice Cubbage

(Date) (Name/Item) (Amount) 1800 Brot Over 29/2/4 July 15 Pd James Fulch 3/6 Finding 2/ 0/5/6 T Walker 2/ Hattwood 3/ Briggs 10/ 0/15/0 Salloway 3/6 W Barker 2/ Mayes 2/6 0/8/0 Mary Oakley 7/6 Sumpter 3/ 0/10/6 Wid Ray 2/6 Sallaway 2/6 0/5/0 Wid Thornton 1/6 Wid Gobby 3/ 0/4/6 Thos Rowlett 5/ Wid Gardner 5/ 0/10/0 Jno Oakley 1/ Fisher 1/6 Cross 2/6 0/5/0 16th Pd Taylor 4/ W Gardner 5/ 0/9/0 Jno Newman 2/ Cleland 5/ 0/7/0 W Hix 1/ Quince's Son Jarbretty 3 wks 8/ 0/9/0 Thos Rowlett 2/6 W Barker 2/ 0/4/6 Thos Fisher 2/ T Cranfield 6/ 0/8/0 Four Paupers on the Road 0/1/6 W Valentine 3/ Hull 1/ Attwood 3/6 0/7/6 Geo Childs 3/ Hen Maddy 1/6 0/4/6 Quince 1/6 Jos Newman 2/ 0/3/6 Ann Simpson 2/ Hix 1/ 0/3/0 Pd Brit Brace 1/ Math pay to 13 Aug 0/8/0 Ma Shelton 2/ W James 2/ Jarvis 1/ 0/5/0 Shadbolt 6/ Bastefield 2/6 0/8/6 Sallaway 3/6 Townsend 4/ 0/7/6 Jno Mason 3/ T Cullup 1/ 0/4/0 Geo Walker 4/ Robinson 5/ 0/9/0 Thos Griffin 2/6 Muffin 4/6 0/7/0 Sar Neal 3/ Eliz Endersby 1/6 0/4/6 Rob Barns 1/ Booth's Child 2/ 0/3/0 Rt Quince 2/6 Sumpter 2/6 0/5/0 Wid Peck 4/ Wid Barker 4/ 0/8/0 Ma Cranfield 1/6 Brown 1/6 0/3/0 Eliz Day 2/6 Pheby Darlow 4/ 0/6/6 Edy Barker 2/ Grace Briley /6 0/3/6 Eliz Goodchild 1/ Sim Bass 3/ 0/4/0 Sar Day 5/ Wid Dee 2/ 0/7/0 Amy Emery 1/ Mary Oakley 1/6 0/2/6 Mary Clark 2/ W Hull 1/ 0/3/0 (total) 41/2/4

I am still going thru this film, but so far have found: LDS 1042926, Campton Church of England Parish Records: 26Jan1812: Baptised Rebecca, daughter of William and Mary Croft 20Mar1785 Buried ___ Thomas Osborn not much so far, but hopefully it will eventually 'plug in' :) sandee > [Original Message] > From: Eunice Cubbage <eunice@cubbage.plus.com> > To: <BEDFORD-L@rootsweb.com> > Date: 2/19/2006 5:52:18 AM > Subject: [BDF] CROFT/OSBORNE - Henlow > > Whilst doing some lookups on my FULFORD ancestors, specifically an Esther > Fulford who married into the Timpson family who were originally from Clifton > Reynes, Bucks, I may have stumbled upon a Bedford onnection. > > I have been trying to find out a little about Walter O Croft, who was born > at St Pancras around 1840. I was interested in him because in 1901 he has > his cousin, Eliza TIMPSON, a widow, living with him in London. ELiza's > husband, Isaac Timpson, had died in 1880. > > I have found Walter Croft in 1891, and living with him was a sister, Jane E > Croft (unmarried), also born St Pancras. I then looked on the IGI hoping to > find Walter and Jane's births (1840 & 1833-ish, respectively), and have > traced Jane to a Samuel Croft and his wife, Susan, nee Osborne, who were > married in Henlow, Bedfordshire in 1826 (There - got to the Bedford > connection at last!) > > I am thinking this is a possible connection because Eliza's son, Edward > Timpson (who married Esther Augusta Fulford) had the middle name Osborn, and > continued the tradition by giving one of his sons, Harry (b.1890) the middle > name Osborn, also. (I suspect the O in Walter O Croft is also Osborn) > > I hope you have followed this so far, I am hoping to hear from anyone who > knows anything about Samuel Croft and Susan Osborn, who can confirm any of this. > > Thanks for reading > > Regards > > Eunice Cubbage > > > ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== > For any updates our info about the status of this list go to > http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com >

Thank you to Sharon, Patricia, Kirsten , Elizabeth and Margaret who made comments and gave information regarding my "Bonnet Sewers" and "Straw Plaiters" in Dunstable. I especially enjoyed Kirsten's quote from Eve, who is very knowledgeable with 'down to earth take,' as always. Also, I recommend Patricia's posted web-site www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/occupations/straw-plait.htm for tons of information on this very important work source in past centuries and particularly, Luton in the nineteenth century. As always, the list folk are an amazing forum of information--everyone gets to help at some time or another, and I am grateful that this time, I was the recipient. I found out a whole lot about the straw hat industry and the many people in Bedfordshire who worked in this field. Many thanks, Chris in Ontario

Donna, I don't have any links to this family. But your's was the only message received today, so I had the luxury of some time to have a close look. Lucky for you. I've been advising people for years to click on batch numbers on IGI records. It's amazing what you find. I found the 1694 record for Elizabeth, clicked on the batch number and searched for KIGHTLEY. Only the one record came back up. I suspected possible surname variants. It would be unusual for just one child. Not to be outdone, I searched the batch again, this time using just father's given name Francis. Et Voila !!. Elizabeth and seven brothers and sisters all with different surname spellings. Only one included a mother's name Elizabeth. Primed with success I went and found the marriage. Francis Kitely married Elizabeth Cliffton on 3rd May 1677 in Houghton Conquest. Elizabeth was the youngest of eight children. The name William was used three times suggesting the earlier two had died. The children were :- Francis 1678, William (I) 1680, John 1682, Joseph 1685, William (II) 1687, William (III) 1689, James 1691 and Elizabeth 1694. I also clicked on the batch number for the marriage record. It indicated that Elizabeth Cliffton had a brother John who married Ann Slingsby. Your back in the "dark ages" when it comes to finding birth records for Francis and Elizabeth. I found nothing for Francis, but there was an Elizabeth Clifton b1849 at Houghton Conquest. It makes her 28 at marriage which might be a bit old for the era. And there are lots of Elizabeth's in other counties. That will give you something to do for a couple of days. Hope you can follow the logic. get back to me if you have problems. Good luck Peter in Sydney PS!! Some of the variant spellings were Kitely, Kightly, Kitly, Citly, Keightley and Kitghtley.

Hi everyone, I have an Elizabeth KIGHTLEY b.4 april 1694 in Houghton Conquest. Her father was Francis KIGHTLEY. This is all I have found on this family. Does anyone have any info on KIGHTLEYs in this area? All the best, Donna

Hi Eve, Thanks for that will try and get one. Diane Eve McLaughlin <eve@varneys.demon.co.uk> wrote: In message <20060217211238.16609.qmail@web26811.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>, Diane Davies writes >Hi > > I'm also interested in this thread. > > I have a seamans ticket from 1844, would they be able to tell me what all the >letters etc., mean re the voyages marked on it. I presume you mean forr the Merchant Navy - Admiralty don't deal with that. Chris and Michael Watts have wriiten an excellent book on the subject -My Ancestor was a Merchant Seaman - which explains all the intricate meanings of what is on the ticket. SOG sell it (at Kidlington Fair, probably, tomorrow, Sat 18th, at Exeter Hall). -- Eve McLaughlin Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== To do a search of the Bedford Archives go to http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl Enter Bedford in the box --------------------------------- Yahoo! Photos – NEW, now offering a quality print service from just 8p a photo.

In message <20060217211238.16609.qmail@web26811.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>, Diane Davies <geniedift44@yahoo.co.uk> writes >Hi > > I'm also interested in this thread. > > I have a seamans ticket from 1844, would they be able to tell me what all the >letters etc., mean re the voyages marked on it. I presume you mean forr the Merchant Navy - Admiralty don't deal with that. Chris and Michael Watts have wriiten an excellent book on the subject -My Ancestor was a Merchant Seaman - which explains all the intricate meanings of what is on the ticket. SOG sell it (at Kidlington Fair, probably, tomorrow, Sat 18th, at Exeter Hall). -- Eve McLaughlin Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society

Hi I'm also interested in this thread. I have a seamans ticket from 1844, would they be able to tell me what all the letters etc., mean re the voyages marked on it. Many thanks Diane Ray Valentine <wellsclanman@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: If you send a copy of the record to: Ministry of Defence, Admiralty Library, 3-5 Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HW, with a covering letter, you will most likely receive a full explanation of the record. They have been of great help to me a couple of times. Ray Melbourne, Aus --- Ted Harris wrote: > My grandfather, born in Shefford, was enlisted into > the navy on > 19-11-1915 and sent to HMS Vivid 1, a shore > establishment at Plymouth. I > have his record card but I can't make any sense of > the entries. In the > column listed 'rating' he starts out as "Jun.R.A." > and then on 26-3-1917 > becomes "SRA". All I can find for 'RA' searching > many sites is Rear > Admiral which is highly unlikely as he was only 18 > at the time! Could > anyone shed some light on this abbreviation? > > Thanks > > Ted > > > ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== > For any updates our info about the status of this > list go to > http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com > > ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - NEW crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== Go to the Bedfordshire Lookup Exchange at: http://freespace.virgin.net/m.harbach/bdf.html --------------------------------- Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail

If you send a copy of the record to: Ministry of Defence, Admiralty Library, 3-5 Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HW, with a covering letter, you will most likely receive a full explanation of the record. They have been of great help to me a couple of times. Ray Melbourne, Aus --- Ted Harris <edward.harris1@ntlworld.com> wrote: > My grandfather, born in Shefford, was enlisted into > the navy on > 19-11-1915 and sent to HMS Vivid 1, a shore > establishment at Plymouth. I > have his record card but I can't make any sense of > the entries. In the > column listed 'rating' he starts out as "Jun.R.A." > and then on 26-3-1917 > becomes "SRA". All I can find for 'RA' searching > many sites is Rear > Admiral which is highly unlikely as he was only 18 > at the time! Could > anyone shed some light on this abbreviation? > > Thanks > > Ted > > > ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== > For any updates our info about the status of this > list go to > http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com > > ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - NEW crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Hi, Following the recent discussion, listers might be interested to know that I have noticed that there is a straw splitter listed on Ebay (search for "straw splitter"). The seller states : "This was used to split straw lengthwise. It was made by Austin's of Tring, Hertfordshire.The straw plait industry was one of the main crafts in the Beds / Herts area until the beginning of the 20th century. Men, women and children worked in their homes splitting straws and plaiting them into patterns with names such as 'brilliant' and 'whipcord'. The plait was sent to towns like Luton to be made into fashionable hats and bonnets, but sadly the plaiters themselves received very little money for their work." I wonder if anyone has come across one of these before or owns one / knows more about them ? Margaret

This is a great description straw plaiters that Eve posted some time ago. Kind regards Kirsten "In Bedfordshire one girl in three was employed as a straw plaiter. Plaiting straw, in the basic form, was simple triple cross over like children's hair plaits, but sometimes in very complicated patterns, with peaks and air holes. It was made in the home or at village plait schools from split long wheat straw to make ropes of plait, which was then sewn up into hats, bonnets, straw baskets, and in the coarser form, into round skips for packaging. It was a major occupation in Bedfordshire, east Bucks and West Herts. Luton was the centre of the hat making trade. The straw was collected and sold to the plaiters by straw dealers or higglers, who also collected finished plait to take to market. In 1860 an official report noted that a 'well ordered' family engaged in plaiting could 'obtain as much or more than the husband who was at work on a neighbouring farm'. The home trade was spoiled by cheap imports from Italy. Luton policemen used to wear straw helmets in summer. And after the straw hat trade declined and cardboard was used to make packing boxes, Luton was also the centre for that industry. Because the straw plait girls could walk round the village and the fields plaiting away (unlike lace makers, who sat at home on their stools), it was entirely possible to get up to naughtiness while still apparently working hard. The plait girls had a bit of a reputation for, friendliness, shall we say. However, because the straw had to be dampened and kept damp to make it supple enough to bend without breaking, they tended to wet the straw between their lips - causing roughness in the end. One ungallant young man observed that 'kissing a straw plaiter be like kissing the old cow's backside' (which didn't stop him doing it.) " -----Original Message----- From: Chris Roberts [mailto:c.robertsis@rogers.com] Sent: Friday, 17 February 2006 12:58 PM To: BEDFORD-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [BDF] Bonnet Sewers and Straw Plaiters I may be inadvertently going over some old territory for long time listers, but can anyone enlighten me to the occupations of "Bonnet Sewers" and "Straw Plaiters" in Dunstable. Since, I have been searching my family members I have noted these job descriptions for female family members several times and I am puzzled as to what they relate to. Thank you, Chris in Ontario

Just an additional point which may interest researchers: my grandmother came from a long line of straw plaiters, and her mother married a block-maker, another section of the Bedfordshire hat industry. My mother remembers that well into the 1920s she was still making hats for the family. One which my mother remembers most clearly is a straw hat made for her when she was about 10 years old - plaited and 'blocked' by my grandmother. Chris Roberts <c.robertsis@rogers.com> wrote: I may be inadvertently going over some old territory for long time listers, but can anyone enlighten me to the occupations of "Bonnet Sewers" and "Straw Plaiters" in Dunstable. Since, I have been searching my family members I have noted these job descriptions for female family members several times and I am puzzled as to what they relate to. Thank you, Chris in Ontario ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send a message to: Bedford-L-request@rootsweb.com (if you are in mail mode i.e. receiving the messages individually or want them individually) or Bedford-D-request@rootsweb.com (if you are in digest mode i.e. receiving a digest of multiple messages or want this mode) In the BODY of the message (not the subject line) type the word subscribe or unsubscribe.

Hi Chris Check out this website, it gives a lot of details on the straw business in Herts and Beds www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/occupations/straw-plait.htm Patti ----- Original Message ----- From: Chris Roberts To: BEDFORD-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Friday, February 17, 2006 1:57 AM Subject: [BDF] Bonnet Sewers and Straw Plaiters I may be inadvertently going over some old territory for long time listers, but can anyone enlighten me to the occupations of "Bonnet Sewers" and "Straw Plaiters" in Dunstable. Since, I have been searching my family members I have noted these job descriptions for female family members several times and I am puzzled as to what they relate to. Thank you, Chris in Ontario ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send a message to: Bedford-L-request@rootsweb.com (if you are in mail mode i.e. receiving the messages individually or want them individually) or Bedford-D-request@rootsweb.com (if you are in digest mode i.e. receiving a digest of multiple messages or want this mode) In the BODY of the message (not the subject line) type the word subscribe or unsubscribe.