Many thanks to everybody who replied on this confirming my guess. This now leaves me with the potential issue of deciding which of the children came from Hannah and husband John and which if any might have come from her previous marriage or possibly his, if he was also widowed. As the list of children is in the 1841 census I don't have any relationships and most of the children were born pre 1837 so it looks like a parish register search if I can decide where to look! By 1851 John is dead and only 3 of the children are still with Hannah. The older ones having moved on. Thanks again Peter >I would appreciate some help on interpreting the mothers names on a birth > certificate. It gives the mother as: > > Hannah Foster late Malow formerly Sheldon. Should I take this to be a > widow > Malow who married a Foster and whose original name was Sheldon? > >