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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Yorkshire (West Riding) => Topic started by: greggus on Saturday 29 December 07 19:25 GMT (UK)

Title: Norton registration district
Post by: greggus on Saturday 29 December 07 19:25 GMT (UK)
I'm trying to get hold of the birth certificate for my great grandmother, Sarah (Ann) (Duncan) Wright.  On the 1851 and 1861 censuses, she is recorded as having been born in Norton, Yorkshire (probably in 1843).  This claim is supported by the 1841 census which places her parents, Edward and Elizabeth Wright, and her grandmother, Ann Lambert, in Norton in the West Riding of Yorkshire.  I have contacted Doncaster, Pontefract, Sheffield  Register Offices with regard to Sarah's birth certificate but without success.  I'd be very grateful if anyone could suggest any other register offices which might contain this entry for Norton.  As Sarah was on the 1851 census for Doncaster, it does appear that I've got the right general area at least!


Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: sillgen on Saturday 29 December 07 19:35 GMT (UK)
Hi
Looking at a map Norton is quite close to Dronfield which comes under Chesterfield.   There is another Norton in Yorks too but further east.  I usually look at www.genuki.org.uk to see which registration districts cover which town.
Have you search the full birth index to see what possibles there are?
Andrea
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: greggus on Saturday 29 December 07 22:14 GMT (UK)
Interesting.  Thanks very much.  I hadn't considered Chesterfield. (I've also contacted about half a dozen other register offices apart from the ones I mentioned, by the way!). I have searched the full birth index in the past and do not recall seeing a Chesterfield entry for 1842/3. I'll obviously check again  though.  The Genealogist.co.uk records the 1841 census district for Norton as 'Pontefract, Osgoldcross (upper division) and there is indeed a Norton not too far from Pontefract.  When I contacted the Pontefract Register Office however, they advised me to get in touch with Doncaster (not Chesterfield)- no luck there either, though.   Chesterfield does not appear to be too far away although, logically, it does seem to be on the wrong side of Doncaster! (Unless there's yet another Norton).  A quick search of the FreeBMD tells me that a Sarah Jane Wright was born in Chesterfield in 1842.  As my grandmother's name seems to change from document to document, it could be the same one.  I'll check it out.  Thanks again
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: ndedross on Sunday 30 December 07 07:59 GMT (UK)
The Norton between Pontefract and Doncaster is in Doncaster District (Campsall Sub-District) in the 19th Century. The FreeBMD description says it moved to Don Valley in 1937, and that the records for this District were split between Doncaster and Barnsley!

Nigel
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: ndedross on Sunday 30 December 07 08:10 GMT (UK)
Hi again,

I just looked on the 1841 Census for Campsall Parish,

In Norton there is

Edward, 30, Farmer
Elizabeth, 25
George, 2
Thomas, 10 weeks

HO107/1309/14

If this is your family, then they were in Norton between Pontefract and Doncaster.

Good Luck,

Nigel
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: sillgen on Sunday 30 December 07 09:17 GMT (UK)
Have you tried looking for the births of the other kids to see where they were registered?  Thomas should be easy to find.
Andrea
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: greggus on Sunday 30 December 07 09:45 GMT (UK)
Thanks very much for all your help.  Barnsley register office seems the next logical step (as I've tried Doncaster already).  Incidently, I did try to track down the birth certificate of Sarah Ann Wright's brother George (born Harworth 1839), but this proved to be a minefield as well, so I gave up! I don't really need it, but I thought that it might provide a clue to tracking down Sarah Ann's birth certificate.  Actually, when I found her marriage certificate about 4 years ago and saw Sarah Ann Duncan Wright on it, I thought her birth certificate would be really easy to track down.  However, it appears that she gave herself this wonderful name as I can't find any S.A.D. Wright on the register of births.  Never mind, I could now be on the right track!  Thanks again.
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: DS on Sunday 30 December 07 12:48 GMT (UK)
Hi greggus

Could this possibly be the Birth Registration that you are looking for ?....

1843 Doncaster JFM quarter 22 81

Sarah Ann Dunkin

If you search for her on the IGI you will find her as the daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Dunkin in Campsall (plus some siblings)

If you then search on the IGI for her father, Edward Dunkin born 1811 in Campsall you will find that his parents were Elizabeth Donkin (sic) and George Wright.

Edward seems to use both surnames on the censuses as follows....

1851 Doncaster HO107/2348 Folio 154 Page 9 as Dunkin

1861 Doncaster RG9/3521 Folio 115 Page 4 as Wright

1871 Doncaster RG10/4722 Folio 56 Page 11 as Wright

1881 Doncaster RG11/4693 Folio 122 Page 3 as Duncan

Elizabeth is shown as being from Lincolnshire on each census.

I am not sure if these are the same census entries or the same family that you have found (since you did not give the references) but they might be worth consideration.

Have a look and see what you think.

DS ;)
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: DS on Sunday 30 December 07 13:13 GMT (UK)
   
I forgot to say above that Thomas Donkin Wright 1841 appears in the same IGI batch, with the same parents but Edward is also shown as Wright on this one.

Also there is this possible Birth Registration...

1839 Worksop AMJ quarter 15 695

George Dunkin

Worksop covers Harworth

These would match the 1841 census family and link it to the later ones that I show above.

DS ;)
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: DS on Sunday 30 December 07 14:46 GMT (UK)
Hello again

Just a bit more circumstantial evidence.....

IGI Batch M044791

Marriage - Harworth 26/08/1822

Ann Hayes
George Lambert

Possible Marriage Registration

1839 Worksop JFM quarter 15 773

Edward Dunkin
Elizabeth Hayes

DS ;)
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: greggus on Sunday 30 December 07 15:47 GMT (UK)
DS,

I'm not one prone to hyperbole, but that's some absolutely fantastic work you've done there. I can't thank you enough.  I had searched for birth entries for Sarah Duncan (+ Wright, marriage certificate) and Sarah Donkin (+ Wright, death certificate), plus Sarah Wright and Sarah Ann Wright (1851 + 1861 censuses) but I clearly missed Dunkin.  It seems at long last my painful search has come to an end!  Thank God.  It was driving me crackers!  It's all been extremely confusing (There even seems to have been another Edward Wright of the same age living in Norton at the same time (next door to one of my family members in 1871!), but he was married to a Rebecca). I tried Worksop for George Wright and got a negative.  The same with Retford, Basford etc.  Clearly I was looking for the wrong name!  I think I'll send off for my great  grandmother's birth certificate one last time!  Cheers.
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: DS on Sunday 30 December 07 19:24 GMT (UK)
Hi greggus

Thank you for the very kind words. I only hope now that it turns out to be the one that you wanted.

I am reasonably sure that the last part of the reference is 81 but it is not very clear on the original index. The FreeBMD transcriber has only put “1” and it is flagged as a suspect entry (by the italic district name).

If you can, please have a look at the original index yourself to see if you agree, before you order the certificate. That is, of course, only if you intend to order it from the GRO. If you intend to go directly to the Doncaster office it should not matter.

Either way, we would all be interested to know the outcome, in due course, if you wish to let us know.

All the best

DS ;)
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: Carol22 on Wednesday 02 January 08 15:53 GMT (UK)
Hi

I have skip read all the postings, and think you are there, I used to live in Beauchief which is next to Norton, and in the 1800's it was in Derbyshire not Yorkshire.

Hope this helps

Caz
Title: Re: Norton registration district
Post by: greggus on Friday 04 January 08 14:44 GMT (UK)
Thanks again so much to everybody for their help.  Yesterday I received in the post exactly what I had been looking for for so long - the birth certificate of my great grandmother, Sarah Ann DUNKIN, born in Norton in the parish of Campsall in 1843. What a relief!  Now on to the next family history problem!