Hi Petra. Subject is listed as a 'gent' (gentleman) in Bulmers Historical Directory 1885 http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/c.asp?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=Test+Web+Site&Index=Historical%20Directories&UseQField=Decade&QField=Decade^1880s&Query=&File=E%3A%5CZYIMAGE%5CDATA%5CHISTDIR%5CTXT%5C00000000%5C0000ADFO.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=f%3Ah%2F&MaximumDocuments=10&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r80g5/r80g5/x150y150g5/i500&Display=hpfr&DefSeekPage=f&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1&SeekPage=f&id=0000ADFO.txt as indicated on the URL.below. http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/pageviewer.asp?fn=0000adll.tif&dn=CAL16005tif&zoom=s If you are interested in this site, might I suggest you search by using the pdf method where one searches by 'image numbers' rather than by the page numbers as indicated in the index. http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/howto1.asp Regards Terry Alderson, Toronto Faster Hotmail access now on the new MSN homepage. Less clicking: Hotmail access on the new MSN homepage. Faster Hotmail access now on the new MSN homepage. _________________________________________________________________ New: Messenger sign-in on the MSN homepage http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9677403

Thank you for that link, Terry - very interesting. I note there are other Misses THOMPSON living in Kirkby Stephen - could they qualify as the "Aunts" as well? They are not Richard's father's sisters, perhaps Matthew's cousins though. They were Catharine Anna THOMPSON (bap. 15 Feb 1822 in Kirkby Stephen) and Emma Elizabeth THOMPSON (bap. 23 Jun 1824 Kirkby Stephen), daughters of a Thomas & Catherine THOMPSON; the same couple also had a son Harrison bap. 24 May 1820 and in fact a whole quiver full of children starting in 1807; mother's name in the earlier baptisms was given as Catharine Wayne HARRISON. It seems Catherine Anna and Emma Elizabeth were the youngest in a long row of children. Catherine and Emma lived together as unmarried sisters, both Annuitants, in 1881 in Main Street, Kirkby Stephen. Catharine Anna THOMPSON died aged 61 (a slight understatement!) in March Quarter 1890 in East Ward District (which covers Kirkby Stephen). Emma is on her own in 1891. Harrison in 1881 was a 61-year-old Silk Merchant living with wife Anne (born LAN) at "Eden Lodge" in Greenwich and appeared to be very well off as well. There was a marriage (patron submission) on the IGI for 04 Sep 1805 in Kirkby Stephen: Thomas THOMPSON married Catherine Wayne HARRISON. This couple has a tombstone in Kirkby Stephen. Thomas was a surgeon and died 25 March 1851 in his 57th year (i.e. born around 1774), and Catherine Wayne died 01 Nov 1852 age 68 (i.e. born around 1784). Strangely the only deaths I could find for a Cat* THOMPSON in December Quarter 1852 were in Gateshead and Bridgwater, but she certainly does not appear to have lived in Westmorland. There was a possible one in London in 1841 or 51. However, this Thomas THOMPSON (b c.1774) was much older than Richard Bovil's father Matthew (b 1815), and the only possible baptism for Thomas on the IGI was a patron submission for Thomas son of Edward in 1773. Matthew's father was a Richard and Richard's father another Matthew (all according to patron submissions), so it does not look as if the Misses Catharine and Emma THOMPSON were in any way close relatives to our Richard Bovil THOMPSON (although there may well have been a relationship even further back). Ah well, another morning spent on a wild goose chase... Petra ----- Original Message ----- From: "Terry Alderson" <rabbitcatcher@live.ca> To: <eng-westmorland@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 6:01 AM Subject: [ENG-WESTMORLAND] FW: Richard Bovil Thompson > Hi Petra. > > Subject is listed as a 'gent' (gentleman) in Bulmers Historical Directory 1885 http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/c.asp?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=Test+Web+Site&Index=Historical%20Directories&UseQField=Decade&QField=Decade^1880s&Query=&File=E%3A%5CZYIMAGE%5CDATA%5CHISTDIR%5CTXT%5C00000000%5C0000ADFO.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=f%3Ah%2F&MaximumDocuments=10&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r80g5/r80g5/x150y150g5/i500&Display=hpfr&DefSeekPage=f&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1&SeekPage=f&id=0000ADFO.txt > > as indicated on the URL.below. > > http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/pageviewer.asp?fn=0000adll.tif&dn=CAL16005tif&zoom=s > > If you are interested in this site, might I suggest you search by using the pdf method where one searches by 'image numbers' rather than by the page numbers as indicated in the index. > > http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/howto1.asp > > Regards Terry Alderson, Toronto