Hi again, Lawrence Places of birth on censuses are another matter entirely! They can be very impressionistic indeed and one would certainly not expect anyone completing a census form to have the faintest idea of which district their birth was registered in. In older areas of London, where the locals may have had some idea of where ancient parish boundaries began and ended, more accurate phraseology can sometimes be expected, but newly constructed residential districts such as Bayswater and Notting Hill never really had defined "edges". As one comes forward in time, the naming of places acquires all sorts of issues of status as well. Up until the last decade or so of the 20th century, anyone who possibly could would have preferred their address to be deemed "Bayswater", rather than "Notting Hill". The latter has now gained such social cachet that it is one of the most sought after addresses, so the area it covers has been greatly expanded by residents and estate agents! Best of luck with your search - you strategy is very sound. Caroline > Therein lay one of my problems. I have an 1851 and 1861 census giving > Bayswater as the pob and 1881 and later giving Notting Hill. The > children in question are almost certainly illegitimate but took the > father's surname (in censuses and marriages), and I want to try to hunt > for them, using forename(s), by searching on the appropriate Reg > District in FreeBMD, through educated surmises about the mother's > possible surname. So Kensington looks like the place to search under in > the period 1845-1854. > > Thanks again > > Lawrence