Hello, I am new to this list and have an intriguing situation. In the 1881 census I have my wife's g g uncle George KEMPT visiting an EDWARDS family in Kirkleatham. George was an Examiner at the Royal Gun Factory (Woolwich?) and he was accompanied by another Examiner. Knowing that industry was thriving in the Middlesbrough area at the time, I can easily envisage that Woolwich would have sent a couple of Examiners to verify Quality Control in a subcontractor. The question is which one. The head of the EDWARDS family is described as a Man Servant, so his master may have billetted these two visitors on him. My reaction is to ask who owned Kirkleatham Hall at that time, and did he also own a business that might have been supplying Woolwich? Regards Fred Edgar

Fred SIR WILLIAM TURNER was born at Guisborough in 1615. He made his fortune as wool trader in London. In 1623 his father bought the Kirkleatham Estate and, later, built Kirkleatham Hall which was demolished in the 1950's. Lancelot Howard Barron Middlesbrough U.K. LBarron Associates U.K. Web Page http://www.barron40.fsnet.co.uk/New_Web/Page_1x.html > > The head of the EDWARDS family is described as a Man Servant, so his master may have billetted these two visitors on him. My reaction is to ask who owned Kirkleatham Hall at that time, and did he also own a business that might have been supplying Woolwich?