Hi Judy, Well this is a first for me too. Knapper in relation to FH research in Shropshire. Yes Knapper is a relatively uncommon surname except in the Potteries in Staffordshire, which is where my father came from and where previous generations of my Knappers lived. Great great grandfather William Knapper was a coal miner and my great grandfather was for a time before he started making sweets in Stoke on Trent. The surname does occur considerably in Western European countries from Norway to France and dad always maintains that our Knappers came over to help Oliver Cromwell bring democracy to this country. I think it is more likely that my ancestors came from the Continent to work in the mining and pottery industries. The University College London (UCL) has carried out work on distribution of surnames in Great Britain, both current and historic. Its website allows users to search the databases to trace the geography and history of their family names. http://www.spatial-literacy.org/UCLnames/default.aspx I have done this and yes, it confirms the greatest concentration of Knappers in 1881 and even today is in the Stoke on Trent area. Originally from Wales, I met my wife at college and came to work in Shropshire where her surname Pugh is quite common and where her ancestors have lived since the mid 1700s. Best wishes Leon from Oswestry