On Sun, 28 Jan 2001 09:43:59 -0000, you wrote: >JOHN DORE born Speen was a locksmith journeyman living in Northcroft Lane on >the 1861 census.Would a locksmith serve an apprenticeship? And d oes >Northcroft Lane still exist? >Researching Assuming you are referring to the village of Speen in Berkshire, perhaps better known in those days as Speenhamland and for its connections with the Poor Law, rather than the one in Bucks. Speen has now become a part of the urban sprawl, if you can call it that, for the market town of Newbury, and I can confirm that there is a Northcroft Lane in Newbury, which goes someway to connecting Speen to Newbury. If you have a look at the old-maps site at the following URL you will find an 1877 map for Speen: http://www.old-maps.co.uk/oldSite/10berk021/HTML/fs_02035001a.htm and then if you click to go to the map to the south which should be the following URL: http://www.old-maps.co.uk/oldSite/10berk021/HTML/fs_02043001m.htm you should find the Northcroft area of the village. On my modern map for the area Northcroft Lane is to the north of the Craven Road and North of the Kennet River which you can see on the second URL. Comparing the two maps I would guess that Northcroft Lane is in the area of the track that heads off across the area of land marked NORTH CROFT and that is noted as being liable to flooding. Regards Paul Portland