1871 Census - possible handicap

[Smudgeboy]

Hi all

Attached is an extract from the 1871 census for my great-grandmother, aged just 3 months at this point.

The image shows what was written in the final column. This is in the column where census takers are required to note of the person is:

1. Deaf and/or dumb
2. Blind
3. Imbecile or idiot
4. Lunatic

I don't think the writing says any of the above, and at first I wondered if it said "Cripple" but I'm not convinced - not only because of the writing, but also, how would you know if a 3-month old baby is crippled? And furthermore, she wasn't crippled as she grew.

Anyone got any thoughts they can offer?

Thanks

[JJen]

It does look like cripple to me.

Perhaps they thought her legs were deformed at birth but as she grew older and started to walk her legs showed no sign of deformity.

JJ

[josey]

Yes, agree with JJen as the most likely but could possibly be that the word is written on the wrong line & refers to someone else 

[stanmapstone]

This is in the column where census takers are required to note of the person is:

The enumerator copies what the householder has written on the Householder's Census Schedule, there were no census takers. It could be that when copying the enumerator put it on the wrong line, or, for some reason the householder put cripple.

Stan