Hi Pamela, I think it was often confusion on the part of whoever filled in the form, whether that was the householder or the Enumerator. The answer could be either mother/father or lodger, so if the person was both, which took precedence? The rules were unclear (or at least perceived to be). 1851 was the first year in which relationships were shown on the census, so people were still getting used to it. So I don't think it was a case of being "cold", but more just not knowing how they were supposed to fill out the form. Best wishes Mike Gould Leicestershire -----Original Message----- From: DEVON [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Pamela Willcocks Sent: 03 September 2017 20:23 To: [email protected] Subject: [DEV] 1851 CENSUS: LODGER VS PARENT Re the census: a parent living with family is usually shown as such. That is, a mother or mother-in-law of the head of household. Or father of course. I see just as many documented as "lodger". Some have "of independent means" or "annuitant" in the occupation column. The one mum I've found simply states lodger and widow. (Elizabeth PAWLEY of Ugborough). That's a bit cold. What was the purpose of not being straightforward with mother or father? cheers, pamela --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus ------------------------------------------ The DEVON-L mailing list is co-sponsored by GENUKI/Devon http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/DEV/ and the Devon FHS (http://www.devonfhs.org.uk/ ) List archive for Devon can be found at http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=devon ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message