Hello Listers! This is not strictly a Cumbria matter, but there seem to be some pretty expert people on this list, and I'm hoping one of them can help me. It is genealogy, even if not directly Cumbria! Recently I was given a copy of the will of one of my wife's ancestors. Unfortunately there are two words I can't decipher. Are there any old hand writing experts out there? (Or should I say, "experts in old handwriting"?) If so, could you have a look at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~robtan/will.html and tell me what you think? Thank you in anticipation, Robert. Robert Tanner In Aus, phone (03) 6231 0794 PO Box 539 From OS, phone +61 3 6231 0794 North Hobart Tasmania 7002 rtanner@trump.net.au Australia http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~robtan/home.html

I love a puzzle such as the one that you presented. I have a few old wills with a very similar hand. This is not the original will, of course, but the copy that is registered -- thus the similarity of handwriting styles. I made out several letters of the surname (including the 'hett' ending) and "End" as the second word in the town name. I then went to www.oldmaps.com and looked up the counties and checked all of the towns in Essex as of the 1860s. I had thought that the word started with a "D" and had a "d" in the middle and an "r" at the end. I saw Duddenhoe End in Crishall Parish, but thought the word too long. The alternative Dudnor or Dudner would fit the letters. I believe it ends "er". Tim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Tanner" <rtanner@trump.net.au> To: <ENG-CUL-COPELAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, December 27, 2002 5:13 PM Subject: [CUL-COP] Old Hand Writing > Hello Listers! > > This is not strictly a Cumbria matter, but there seem to be some pretty > expert people on this list, and I'm hoping one of them can help me. It is > genealogy, even if not directly Cumbria! > > Recently I was given a copy of the will of one of my wife's > ancestors. Unfortunately there are two words I can't decipher. Are there > any old hand writing experts out there? (Or should I say, "experts in old > handwriting"?) If so, could you have a look at > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~robtan/will.html > and tell me what you think? > > Thank you in anticipation, > Robert. > > > Robert Tanner In Aus, phone (03) 6231 0794 > PO Box 539 From OS, phone +61 3 6231 0794 > North Hobart > Tasmania 7002 rtanner@trump.net.au > Australia > > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~robtan/home.html > > ______________________________