The other day, when I perused the fiche images of the 1855 census of Whitburn parish, I could find no reference to any house called High Croft, nor to any Wilcox family, nor to anyone claiming to be a "Collector of Customs". >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> In 1855 Alexander Wilcox was the Collector of Customs for Sunderland. In 1890 a Miss Wilcox was living in High Croft, Whitburn. In the 1901 census a William Sewell was living in High Croft, Whitburn. He was still there in 1914. Regards Stan Mapstone www.mapstone.org

----- Original Message ----- From: <Stanmapstone@aol.com> To: <ENG-DUR-SUNDERLAND-L@rootsweb.com> <snipped> > > In 1855 Alexander Wilcox was the Collector of Customs for Sunderland. Yes, indeed, but... The 1861 Census (thanks again to all the Freecen volunteers) shows Alexander Wilcox and his family to be living at Westoe (in Whitburn civil and ecclesiastical parishes, but not in Whitburn village), quite some way from the High Croft that we are homing on. The 1856 -1862 OS map on Tomorrows History, and the 1862 map on Old Maps (which looks very much like the same map) shows that the site on which High Croft was eventually built was still merely a disused limestone quarry at that time (with just two small sheds on the quarry floor). The only Whitburn Wilcoxes recorded in the 1881 census were living at Stafford Lane (a short cut between front Street and North Guards). And there seems to be no mention of High Croft in the 1881 census of Whitburn village. > In 1890 a Miss Wilcox was living in High Croft, Whitburn. I have always understood that High Croft was not built until the mid 1890s, but your reference to Miss Wilcox living there in 1890 (presumably from the 1890 Kelly's Directory ?) seems to prove me wrong in that detail. I will see if I can get any further clarification from the 1851, 1871 and 1891 censuses (or from others in the family). >In the 1901 census a William Sewell was living in High Croft, Whitburn. >He was still there in 1914. William Sewell lived there until his death in 1925, when High Croft passed to his son Thomas Reginald Sewell. All of this is of great personal interest to me, because William Sewell was my grandfather, Thomas Reginald was my uncle and step-father, and High Croft was my home for a significant portion of my boyhood. But, coming back to my original puzzlement - I see nothing that indicates that the Misses Wilcox could have been living at High Croft in 1855, when Lewis Carroll visited them. If he was really visiting Westoe, perhaps the sands that inspired him were Marsden Bay, and not Whitburn as we would think of it nowadays? Tim S.