Hi folks I'm getting down to basics - trying to establish when/how/where the Reading bunch were hatched/matched/despatched in the hope it might throw up some hitherto unresearched anomalies. I think this chap might hold the key to unravelling a mystery and I wonder if anyone has encountered any records pertaining to him? Known facts: 26 Apr 1815 John WESTALL married Charlotte BRUNSDON both otp at Newbury St Nicolas by licence 22 May 1815 recorded aged 25 and 18 respectively at Quarrington's Yard, East Side Mary Hill, Newbury in Toomer's Census c1820 Son William born Newbury 10 Feb 1824 Wife Charlotte buried Newbury followed 12 Apr 1824 by son James aged 3 mos 23 Oct 1826 John re-married Sarah WYATT by licence at Reading Had further issue baptized Reading, and some infant mortalities 1841 Kennet Side - All supposedly born in County unless otherwise stated John WESTALL 51 Beer Seller Sarah 30 Not born in County William 21 Bargeman John 12 Edwin 8 [bap Aurelius Edwin] Charles 1 Charlotte 18 FS Not born in County [possibly Charlotte HOLLOWAY/HALLAWAY, William's prospective bride] John senior is variously described in Reading St Giles Baptismal Register: 1828 of Gas Wharf, Clerk to Barge Masters 1831 of Gas Wharf, Agent 1834 of Blake's Pound, Barge Agent 1841 of Kennet Side, Victualler John senior was buried 14 June 1842 aged 53 of Kennet Side ***BUT*** there is no local death registration for him! The only likely GRO registration is June Quarter 1842 Bethnal Green [unless anyone knows any different?]. I have this newspaper account extracted from The Times of December 27, 1841, concerning a likely child of the family: A fatal accident to a little boy would have occurred on Wednesday night, but for the intrepidity of a labouring man named Clarke : the child, a son of J. Westall, late of the Fisherman's Cottage, was walking on the towing-path of the Kennet, near the King's-bridge, and fell into the stream, which is now both deep and strong. Clarke, who happened to be near, heard a faint cry of distress, and by the reflection from the gaslamp could just discern something dark upon the water ; he immediately jumped in, and succeeded in seizing the child's pinafore, as it was sinking, and endeavoured to reach the bank again, but was washed 30 or 40 yards down the stream before he succeeded, and was at length dragged up the side by a person who came to assist him ; he was much exhausted, but kept a firm hold of the child, which he was thus the means of saving. We much wish that there was some local institution to award a recompense to acts of this kind, where an individual risks his life to save that of another. Clarke's circumstances are at the present time very humble, and we shall feel much pleasure in receiving, at the office, any small contributions which may enable him to partake of the abundance of good things which those in affluence so universally partake of at this festive season._ Reading paper. Was the Kennet & Avon Canal responsible for bringing this branch to Reading? There doesn't seem to have been much of a presence prior to this batch. Dorothy