Hi Shirley It makes life a lot easier if you post the census reference in full where known, with this sort of enquiry There is no Thomas BENSON b1794 in Dorking eventually I found (nb the Page number is not 172, that is the Folio number) He is enumerated as age 61 so born 1790 1851 England Census about Thomas Benson Name: Thomas Benson Age: 61 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1790 Relation: Head Gender: M (Male) Where born: N Civil parish: Dorking Ecclesiastical parish: Holmwood Town: Dorking County/Island: Surrey Country: England Registration district: Dorking Sub-registration district: Capel ED, institution, or vessel: 1b Neighbors: Household schedule number: 3 Piece: 1598 Folio: 172 Page Number: 32 Household Members: Name Age Thomas Benson 61 William Benson 18 Jane Benson 16 Maria Benson 13 Sarah Benson 11 Abraham Benson 8 Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1598; Folio: 172; Page: 32; GSU roll: 193496. The birthplace is enumerated as K.N. which is a variation on the norm which is K.N. which is an abbreviation for Not Known Very common with travellers and the like, the enumerators were very wary of approaching them as they were sometimes attacked, in one case at least they were thrown in the canal by a barge family They did not like authority very much Or they did speak to the enumerator and did not know their birthplaces, these families moved around a great deal so may not have known Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 08/01/2013 15:47, Samuel Phillips wrote: > Happy New Year to everyone, may we all step over our brick walls! > I am researching Thomas Benson born 1794, my 3 gt. grandfather. > I have him on the 1851 census, Holmwood district, Dorking, page 172. > Under place of birth they give R N. Does anyone know what this stands > for and is this something to do with the fact they were travellers. thank > you Shirley Phillips.