Glynis asks:- >Does anyone know what Olf means in the following context please? > >ERO ref: D/P 332/21/2 parish of Rayleigh, Ess > >Dec 30 1817 from the bill of a carpenter [Thomas WAGGSTAFF] > >to mending of olf in hambry lane [?] [?] nails and oak planck 0 - 2- 0 > >and > >February 23 to mending of olf in hambrey lane labour and oak planck 0 - 6 - 2 > >I have a feeling it is staring me in the face but I cannot work it out and I am not allowed to drive to ERO [for OED] for another two weeks, Firstly, did you see the original and are the details those that you copied, or did you take this from a transcription? What exactly was the document? I am not convinced about the suggestion of ole (hole), but this is the only suggestion so far. Mending holes in the road is not too likely to require a plank and nails. So I would guess that it is a structure (bridge, style or fence?) or building. I checked my Essex Dialect Dictionary but that was no help. The prefix olf means smell as in olfactory etc. Could it have been somewhere smelly - a midden? OED:- Olfend is an old word for a Camel - plank and nails !! <grin> A Green-olf (olph, alf, olp) was a green-finch or more properly a green grosbeak (Suffolk dialect). So I think that it is an unidentified structure or building - the village lock-up or stocks? Requiring significant repair if the second bill was 6/2d. Although I don't know the area, I can find no sign of Hambrey Lane in modern Rayleigh, the nearest being Hambro Hill, Close and Avenue to the north-east of the town. Perhaps an old map of the town with the lane marked might give a clue regarding what was there. - Tythe map? You could ask the ERO, after all it was their document. Please let us know if anything turns up. Regards, Geoff (From Essex) Geoffrey T. Stone, SoG Mailing List Administrator. lists@sog.org.uk http://www.sog.org.uk On-line retail shopping? Use http://www.buy.at/genealogists our affiliate shop and SoG gains funds at no cost to you.

Dear Geoff, Thank you very much for your input, thoughts and the look up in the OED. I am very grateful for the OED especially. I have a photocopy of the document in front of me, it is a receipted bill signed by my ancestor detailing work done in 'carpenters work done in the roads' for the churchwarden Mr Brewit. It has been annotated as 'Bills & Receipts Surveyor's Accts for 1818 for Rayleigh Parish' The total bill for nearly a year comes to L10 14s 1 1/2d The 'f' is written the same as in his 'field' and the end letters of his signature, being Thomas WAGGSTAFF. Further on in the two page document is; to 1/2 day to stubing up old olf at Ditto 0 - 1 - 9 to 4 oak posts and 2 caps for Ditto to 18 feet of planck to lay by the side of Ditto I cannot find Hambrey Lane in Rayleigh either. I have a enlarged tithe map of Rayleigh and it is not shown on there. I like the reference to the camel but for now I remain stumped. As you suggest it is probably a structure of some kind. Thank you very much, Glynis Essex ----- Original Message ----- From: Geoffrey Glynis asks:- >Does anyone know what Olf means in the following context please? > >ERO ref: D/P 332/21/2 parish of Rayleigh, Ess > >Dec 30 1817 from the bill of a carpenter [Thomas WAGGSTAFF] > >to mending of olf in hambry lane [?] [?] nails and oak planck 0 - 2- 0 > >and > >February 23 to mending of olf in hambrey lane labour and oak planck 0 - 6 - 2 > >I have a feeling it is staring me in the face but I cannot work it out and I am not allowed to drive to ERO [for OED] for another two weeks, Firstly, did you see the original and are the details those that you copied, or did you take this from a transcription? What exactly was the document? I am not convinced about the suggestion of ole (hole), but this is the only suggestion so far. Mending holes in the road is not too likely to require a plank and nails. So I would guess that it is a structure (bridge, style or fence?) or building. I checked my Essex Dialect Dictionary but that was no help. The prefix olf means smell as in olfactory etc. Could it have been somewhere smelly - a midden? OED:- Olfend is an old word for a Camel - plank and nails !! <grin> A Green-olf (olph, alf, olp) was a green-finch or more properly a green grosbeak (Suffolk dialect). So I think that it is an unidentified structure or building - the village lock-up or stocks? Requiring significant repair if the second bill was 6/2d. Although I don't know the area, I can find no sign of Hambrey Lane in modern Rayleigh, the nearest being Hambro Hill, Close and Avenue to the north-east of the town. Perhaps an old map of the town with the lane marked might give a clue regarding what was there. - Tythe map? You could ask the ERO, after all it was their document. Please let us know if anything turns up. Regards, Geoff (From Essex)