In a message dated 22/08/2007 07:27:48 GMT Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: I wonder if anyone on the list can help me with a lookup of the Durham 1871 census for - William BLYTH[E] would be aged around 24 yrs, born Linkinhorne Cornwall, a miner Mary BLYTH[E] his wife, aged around 28 year, born Cornwall. Elizabeth Ann BLYTH[E] dau, aged around 4 yrs, born Linkinhorne, Cornwall. They lived in Le Houghton Springs when their daughter Hannah was born in 1872, so they may be there in 1871. Further to earlier answers, the name of the place is NOT "Le Houghton Springs" but Houghton le Spring. It is an ancient parish (ie existing in 1600) and during the 18th and 19th centuries became subdivided into eg Penshaw, West Rainton, East Rainton, Hetton le Hole, Newbottle, etc. Its name comes from its mediaeval ownership by a family named L'Espring. As a point of English, I don't think it is right to ask for a "look-up" when precise details (piece number and folio or else complete address) are not supplied. If the "looker-up" is not told precisely where to look then what is required is a search, not a look-up. The danger here is that since a search of the microfilm of the enumerators' notebooks could be lengthy, a respondent may well search only in an index, possibly an unreliable or on-line one, and that could introduce errors. I am not saying that that is what happened here - I just don't know. Incidentally, Newbottle is about a mile north of Houghton le Spring, and became a parish of its own in the 1840s. Geoff Nicholson