Hi list This is a vague query but don't have much information. On my great grandmother's birth certificate her father Thomas Turner, was listed as being born in Worcestershire. This would have been about 1837. I know this county is small in comparison to Australian shires but where do I start looking? We have a photo of Thomas with a very full beard and the family story is that he grew the beard because his teeth were knocked out in the salt mines before leaving England. So are there salt mines in Worcestershire, and if so where? Bev Nethercote Kerang, Victoria, Aust

Hi Bev, Don't know of any salt MINES in WOR - but Droitwich (some 7 miles from Worcester City Centre) stands on Brine Wells. The water was boiled dry to produce salt for over 2,000 years - and conditions in the saltworks were pretty grim.... HTH Gus ----- Original Message ----- From: Bev Nethercote <plumpton2@dodo.com.au> To: <ENG-WORCESTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2005 2:34 PM Subject: [WOR] salt mines > Hi list > > This is a vague query but don't have much information. > > On my great grandmother's birth certificate her father Thomas Turner, was listed as being born in Worcestershire. This would have been about 1837. I know this county is small in comparison to Australian shires but where do I start looking? > > We have a photo of Thomas with a very full beard and the family story is that he grew the beard because his teeth were knocked out in the salt mines before leaving England. So are there salt mines in Worcestershire, and if so where? > > Bev Nethercote > Kerang, Victoria, Aust > > > ==== ENG-WORCESTER Mailing List ==== > Transcribers wanted for Worcestershire FreeREG > for more information see http://freereg.rootsweb.com > UK Census on-line > http://freecen.rootsweb.com/ > >

John, Bev: A useful distinction. But there were actual mines of rock salt, not brine, at nearby Stoke Prior. As always, Google can supply references. Best wishes Paul Prescott ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Tysoe" <gtysoe@jtysoe.fsnet.co.uk> To: <ENG-WORCESTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2005 2:50 PM Subject: Re: [WOR] salt mines > Hi Bev, > > Don't know of any salt MINES in WOR - but Droitwich (some 7 miles from > Worcester City Centre) stands on Brine Wells. > > The water was boiled dry to produce salt for over 2,000 years - and > conditions in the saltworks were pretty grim.... > > HTH > > Gus > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Bev Nethercote <plumpton2@dodo.com.au> > To: <ENG-WORCESTER-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2005 2:34 PM > Subject: [WOR] salt mines > > >> Hi list >> >> This is a vague query but don't have much information. >> >> On my great grandmother's birth certificate her father Thomas Turner, was > listed as being born in Worcestershire. This would have been about 1837. I > know this county is small in comparison to Australian shires but where do > I > start looking? >> >> We have a photo of Thomas with a very full beard and the family story is > that he grew the beard because his teeth were knocked out in the salt > mines > before leaving England. So are there salt mines in Worcestershire, and if > so > where? >> >> Bev Nethercote >> Kerang, Victoria, Aust >> >> >> ==== ENG-WORCESTER Mailing List ==== >> Transcribers wanted for Worcestershire FreeREG >> for more information see http://freereg.rootsweb.com >> UK Census on-line >> http://freecen.rootsweb.com/ >> >> > > > ==== ENG-WORCESTER Mailing List ==== > FreeREG Project: parish register database > http://freereg.rootsweb.com > > UK Census on-line > http://freecen.rootsweb.com/ > >

Bev: Yes, there were salt mines in Worcestershire at Droitwich. Try "Droitwich, salt" on Google for lots of references. Good luck Paul Prescott ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bev Nethercote" <plumpton2@dodo.com.au> To: <ENG-WORCESTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2005 2:34 PM Subject: [WOR] salt mines > Hi list > > This is a vague query but don't have much information. > > On my great grandmother's birth certificate her father Thomas Turner, was > listed as being born in Worcestershire. This would have been about 1837. I > know this county is small in comparison to Australian shires but where do > I start looking? > > We have a photo of Thomas with a very full beard and the family story is > that he grew the beard because his teeth were knocked out in the salt > mines before leaving England. So are there salt mines in Worcestershire, > and if so where? > > Bev Nethercote > Kerang, Victoria, Aust > > > ==== ENG-WORCESTER Mailing List ==== > Transcribers wanted for Worcestershire FreeREG > for more information see http://freereg.rootsweb.com > UK Census on-line > http://freecen.rootsweb.com/ > >

If you do a search on "salt mines UK" you'll find all kinds of information on this. Re Thomas Turner, you say he was born "around 1837." FreeBMD has six Thomas Turner names born during 1838. If born before mid-1837 he would not have been registered, but you might find him in IGI. Happy hunting! Diana Robinson (nee Gardner) Now in Rochester, NY, USA -----Original Message----- From: Bev Nethercote [mailto:plumpton2@dodo.com.au] Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2005 9:35 AM To: ENG-WORCESTER-L@rootsweb.com Subject: salt mines Hi list This is a vague query but don't have much information. On my great grandmother's birth certificate her father Thomas Turner, was listed as being born in Worcestershire. This would have been about 1837. I know this county is small in comparison to Australian shires but where do I start looking? We have a photo of Thomas with a very full beard and the family story is that he grew the beard because his teeth were knocked out in the salt mines before leaving England. So are there salt mines in Worcestershire, and if so where? Bev Nethercote Kerang, Victoria, Aust ______________________________