Dear Bob, I've just seen the messages from December 2009 about this William Westall. The 1851 census entry definitely refers to my g-g-g-grandfather. My g-g-grandparents Louisa Westall and Henry Burgess Creswell were married in Manchester Cathedral on 5th November 1842. Louisa gave her age as "full", her address as Liverpool Road [Manchester] and her father's name and profession as William Westall, Innkeeper. Pigot & Slater's Directory of Manchester for 1841 has a William Francis Westall at the Railway & Commercial Hotel, Liverpool Road. By 1847, according to Slater's Directory of Important English Towns, the Railway & Commercial Hotel had been replaced by a coal yard (no doubt as a result of the proliferation of the railways in this part of Manchester) and William Francis Westall was at the Spread Eagle, Hanging Ditch. I have not found him in any Manchester directory after 1850 and I had convinced myself that, in spite of the extra forename, this was Louisa's father who was, by 1851, "out of business". Then I saw your message about the 1841 census entry and had to think again. The ages match (though I am surprised to see exact ages in 1841) and if Louisa was at school in Liverpool 1841 then this could be g-g-g-grandfather William. But if he was in Liverpool in 1841, William Francis must be a different person, though clearly related - possibly William's son? Can you (or anyone else) shed any more light, and/or tie my Westalls into the bigger picture? Jenny