Genealogy Chat

I apologise in advance, because I have asked this question before, in 2011.

On Ancestry there is a marriage certificate of Wm Dolby and Sarah Ann Powell, married in 1861, at St Pancras Church, London, after Banns.

Their address is either BWR or BHR, 23 Charlotte Street, London.

Any suggestion what these initial represent?

The kind people who offered to help last time, were just as baffled as me.

I have just had a thought, would the address be in Kelly's Directory? I cant find it online, would Kelly's be on Ancestry?

Kelly’s directories are held in County Records Offices and reference section of main public libraries - for the relevant area

On 1861 census, where are they living?

Thank you Erika, I thought that might be the case.

Unfortunately all our local libraries are closed at the moment. Hopefully will be open again soon.

Looking at the image, I would say the second letter is definitiely W - the letters come AFTER the Street address - not before. The inference is that it's an area

Don't know where it gives a Street number - I can't see one

Googling Charlotte Street shows that it's in Bloomsbury.....................

A snippet of Info about Pancras district extracted from freebmd

Lost part of the parish of St. Pancras (which became part of the parish of St. Giles in the Fields & St. George Bloomsbury on 1.4.1901) to St. Giles

I dont have the certficate to hand.

I think they are living in Charlotte Street in 1861. It seems a large place with many families living their, including his brother and sister in law, who incidentally is Sarah's sister.

I have put away all my certs for Christmas! I shall have to dig deeper with this one. I have put the initials into Google, but I dont think any of the suggestions fit.

Thanks for your help again Erika.

We crossed Erika.

Charlotte Street is indeed in Bloomsbury. I know exactly where it is, also the church they married in.

I did ask the Vicar more than a decade ago, but they did not know what the initials stood for either.

It is such a daft thing, but it is an itch that needs scratching.

Is This William in 1861? A blacksmith - as he is on the marriage cert

Name: William Dolby
Age: 26
Estimated Birth Year: 1835
Relation: Lodger
Gender: Male
Where born: Waltham, Leicestershire, England
Civil Parish: Bloomsbury St George
County/Island: Middlesex
Country: England
Registration District: St Giles
Sub-registration District: St George Bloomsbury*******************************
ED, institution, or vessel: 1
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Schedule Number: 110
Piece: 165
Folio: 8
Page Number: 15
Household Members:
Name Age
Thomas Woodford 50
Louisa Woodford 48
Louisa Woodford 14
Matilda Woodford 12
Esther Woodford 10
William Dolby 26

Address 23 COMPTON Street

I can't help feeling that the 'B' is Bloomsbury...................but not being a Londoner, I could be very wrong

No that is not him Erika.

He was born in 1842, in St Pancras. His father was Robert Edward, born c. 1812 in Newington, London.

Oh, I just read your post. Could it be something as simple as Bloomsbury Western Region?

If he was born in 1842, how was he described as of 'full' age when he married in 1861?

................here's the 1861 at 23, Charlotte Street

Name: William Dolby
Age: 19
Estimated Birth Year: 1842
Relation: Head
Gender: Male
Where born: St Pancras, Middlesex, England
Civil Parish: St Pancras
Ecclesiastical parish: St Jude
County/Island: Middlesex
Country: England
Registration District: Pancras
Sub-registration District: Grays Inn Lane
ED, institution, or vessel: 16
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Schedule Number: 205
Piece: 108
Folio: 55
Page Number: 34
Household Members:
Name Age
William Dolby 19

William Dolby
in the 1861 England Census
Name: William Dolby
Age: 19
Estimated Birth Year: 1842
Relation: Head
Gender: Male
Where born: St Pancras, Middlesex, England
Civil Parish: St Pancras
Ecclesiastical parish: St Jude
County/Island: Middlesex
Country: England
Street Address: 23 Charlotte Street <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Occupation:
Condition as to marriage:
View image
Registration District: Pancras
Sub-registration District: Grays Inn Lane
ED, institution, or vessel: 16
Neighbors:
Household Schedule Number: 205
Piece: 108
Folio: 55
Page Number: 34
Household Members:
Name Age
William Dolby 19 - blacksmith

That has puzzled me too.

Maybe he fibbed, or maybe I have been chasing the wrong fella all these years.

This has thrown up more questions than answers.

Thanks again Erika.

Edit. Thank you ArgyllGran.

I think I am going to wait until after Christmas, then go through all my papers again, and dig out the cerificates and see if I have gone astray somewhere.

He must have fibbed - perhaps because he didn't have parental consent to marry.

Neither of the witnesses was his father.

I don't know what the initials stand for, but they definitely denote the area in which the street was.

Looking at other marriage records at the same church, there are one or two with the initials KT after an address ( Kentish Town ?).

There's this one with the address Field Terrace BWR:

Stephen Hone Jr
in the London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932
Name: Stephen Hone Jr
Gender: Male
Record Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 14 May 1861
Marriage Place: Parish Chapel, St Pancras, Camden, England
Father: Stephen Hone
Spouse: Emma Hone
Register Type: Parish Register


And ths one with address James Street CT (Canning Town ?):

John Byford Jr
in the London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932
Name: John Byford Jr
Gender: Male
Record Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 30 Apr 1861
Marriage Place: Parish Chapel, St Pancras, Camden, England
Father: John Byford
Spouse: Ursula Peacock
Register Type: Parish Register

Also others.

If the middle initial is an "H" it could possibly be Barking Havering and Redbridge. This comes up if you do a google search for the initials.

Kath. x

Hmmm - KT maybe isn't Kentish Town.
One of the addresses with KT after it is Wellesley Terrace, which appears to be in the Clerkenwell/Hackney area - per Google Maps.

I don't know London areas.

Try Leicester University for historical directories

https://le.ac.uk/library/special-collections

http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4

Trade and local directories for England and Wales from the 1760's to the 1910's

Thank you all for your suggestions.

CT could be Camden Town which is about a mile away from St Pancras Church.

KT could be Kentish Town, there is a Wellesley Road there.

Some of the street names have changed in these two areas, as in Islington.

I will go on to the website that Greyghost suggested, there are a few other addresses that need sorting.

Thank you for your time.