I have an 1851 census which shows my 3x G Grandfather, John Gibson’s, birthplace as ‘Hoxaybridge, Yorkshire’, but there's no such place. I’ve been wracking my brain and searching through lists of Yorkshire towns that might sound like this, and coming up blank until I suddenly wondered if there might be a place called Hawksbridge, as this seems to me the most likely error a census taker might make. It's not a transcription error - the original says the same, quite clearly. At the time he was living in Kirkwall, Orkney, where he died in 1866.
His birth year seems to be 1776-1778, from the censuses and his death certificate where his age is shown as 88. Based on this certificate his father’s name was also John Gibson, farmer, but his mother is shown as ‘unknown’.
I know he lived in Peebles where he’s named on ‘heads of families’ lists for 3 years 1834-1836 working as a ‘steward’ on two farms there. His children were born at Manor, Peebles, between 1826 and 1836.
I have no marriage record either, which I know might help. His wife was Ann Kerr, born at Muirkirk, Ayrshire.
So, I discovered a Hawksbridge Lane (apparently the only one in the UK), near the village of Oxenhope, Bradford District, in West Yorkshire, and a Hawksbridge Cottage. I’m thinking this might have been a farm once and maybe this is my ancestor’s birthplace.
I’d appreciate any tips or local knowledge that could help me in my search for some documentary evidence of his birth or anything else, as otherwise I’m at a brick wall. And I’m not in the UK so I’m limited to online material.
