Dear Mary Ann > Thanks for your reply Jeff - the word appears to be Stones, but when we > visited the area in 2007 I don't think we came across a town by that name, > so I thought possibly a descriptive area rather than a town, and hoped that > someone with local knowledge could fill in the gap for me. I'm sure your instinct that it is not a "town" name is sound. I think, as Jeff says, it is probably descriptive of a minor place within the parish of Thatcham. Someone with more detailed local knowledge might be able to give your more information, but I note there is a "Stone Copse" on the modern map northwest of the village, and at www.old-maps.co.uk you can find both that copse (small wood) and "Stone Cottages" (location 449300 169100, in 1881 Berkshire 1:2500), which might well be the abode you are looking for. This is the modern map: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=449104&Y=168951&A=Y&Z=120 Use this as a rough guide to the maps on www.old-maps.co.uk Best wishes Paul -- Paul Betteridge, Leafield, Oxfordshire pbetteridge@pobox.com

Thanks for your input Paul. It is very frustrating to know that we actually visited Mousefield Farm when we were in the Thatcham area in 2007 - so close to Stone Copse which I tend to think was were this Mountford family lived. We know that Mountford family members were recorded as having lived at Cold Ash, Thatcham and Ashmore Green and now Stone. And so many of them were named Alexander who married Mary! We have some work to do to sort out the connections. Thanks again for your interest. Regards Mary Ann South Australia -------Original Message------- From: Paul Betteridge Date: 9/03/2010 11:30:59 PM To: berkshire@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [BRK] Baptism for Mary Ann MOUNTFORD 1815 Dear Mary Ann > Thanks for your reply Jeff - the word appears to be Stones, but when we > visited the area in 2007 I don't think we came across a town by that name, > so I thought possibly a descriptive area rather than a town, and hoped that > someone with local knowledge could fill in the gap for me. I'm sure your instinct that it is not a "town" name is sound. I think, as Jeff says, it is probably descriptive of a minor place within the parish of Thatcham. Someone with more detailed local knowledge might be able to give your more information, but I note there is a "Stone Copse" on the modern map northwest of the village, and at www.old-maps.co.uk you can find both that copse (small wood) and "Stone Cottages" (location 449300 169100, in 1881 Berkshire 1:2500), which might well be the abode you are looking for. This is the modern map: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=449104&Y=168951&A=Y&Z=120 Use this as a rough guide to the maps on www.old-maps.co.uk Best wishes Paul -- Paul Betteridge, Leafield, Oxfordshire pbetteridge@pobox.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BERKSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message