Genealogy Chat

I have an interesting person in my tree named George Willday. He married Elizabeth Hunter in Kidderminster in 1834 (she was b. 1810, Colchester, Essex).

But the census records between 1851 and 1871 are puzzling me. George gives his birthplace variously as "St. Mary's, Kent" (1851), Marylebone (1861) and Bayswater (1871).

Can anyone tell me if this is a case of him not knowing where he was born or if he just changed his mind each year?

marylebone is in westminster and so is bayswater.

marylebone was sometimes referred to as st marylebone so maybe they shortened it to st marys

lorraine

Thanks, Lorraine. That would make sense, because I just did a search for Marylebone parish records and a site came up for St. Marylebone.

I was about to get the A-Z of London out, which I can't make a bit of sense of.

Why did they marry in Kidderminster? A long way from Marylebone or Colchester.

Even if St.Marylebone was shortened to St.Mary's, it wouldn't be Kent, either London or Middlesex.

Rob

There is a St Marys Bay in Kent

Elaine

From what I can make out, Elizabeth's father David Hunter was in the army and all I really know about him is that he died before the 1841 census.

I believe that he and the family moved around a bit in the early part of the nineteenth century, ultimately ending up in the Worcestershire area, so I believe the Hunters were living in the Kidderminster area around 1835.

Perhaps it's a case of the enumerator misunderstanding what was meant by St. Marys, somehow. I think this could be a puzzle - I have looked on the IGI in case there was a possible George but nothing looked promising.

That could be something to follow up, thanks, Michael. Looking on the IGI, I see his parents are down as George and Ann, and George did have a daughter named Ann.

There was a curious thing regarding his son David, incidentally. David moved to Australia and changed his name to George Hunter Wildie - I don't know why the surname changed (perhaps just the way he preferred to spell it) - the George, I suspect, came from his father and Hunter from his mother's maiden name.

There is also a St Mary Cray in Kent.

Worcester makes sense for an army family. Ditto Colchester

The main parish church of Paddington (which sits between Marylebone and Bayswater) is St Mary's. I don't know, but I'd always presumed that St Mary's Hospital, which is practically on top of the main-line station (Fleming discovered penicillin there) was named after the church/parish St Mary's. However, it's nowhere near Kent.

Interestingly, Heather, I have come up with a Fanny Wilday b. c.1790 in St. Mary's Cray, Kent who was living in Worcester (All Saints) in 1841/51/61.

Her husband is a Richard Wilday (a tailor) b. Sibson, Leicestershire, and I have come upon a marriage at St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster in 1809 between Richard Wilday and Frances Fleming. I wonder if there's some connection.

Its not a common name