Place query

[Marmitch]

In the 1871 census for Salford, one of my ancestors is listed as having been born some 60 years earlier in a place called ' Gibraltar Head'. Has any else heard of this place, or know where abouts it is.

[ryan]

Could this be Gibraltar, the rock lying off of Spain which belongs to Britain?

[Boongie Pam]

Certainly the only Gibraltar Head I can find is the rock with the primates 

Timing wise it is feasable..

From Lonely Planet:
"Castilla wrested the Rock from the Muslims in 1462. Then in 1704 an Anglo-Dutch fleet captured Gibraltar during the War of the Spanish Succession. Spain ceded the Rock to Britain in 1713, but didn't end military attempts to regain it until the failure of the Great Siege of 1779-83. Britain developed it into an important naval base."

Pam
 

[ryan]

This is pure speculation, but perhaps your ancestor was born to a man serving with the British forces on Gibraltar?

However, I have a question: have you read the place name in question from a transcription or an actual census page? If you have read it from a transcription, there is always the possibility that the place name was misread by the transcriber?

[Boongie Pam]

I just did a search on the LDS 1881 census and got 41 people called SMITH born in Gibraltar.  So it is definitely possible.

Pam
 

[Bee]

There's a place called Gibraltar Point, I think it's in Lincolnshire, somewhere near the Wash.  My son went there with a school trip many moons ago.

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi

Yes, there is a Gibralter Point in Lincolnshire, and yes again, it is on the Wash, not far from skeggy (Skegness to you posh lot)

It is now mostly a wildlife and nature reserve, just a couple of houses here and there

Chris in 1066Land

[Marmitch]

Whoops
After Ryan asked where I got the place name from, I looked again at my information. The person who kindly sent me the information had read it from an original transcript, however when they presented the information they presented it as follows for the whole family.

Name age Place born Relation to head profession .....
Thomas Costello Gibraltar Head Tailor.......

Yes those fully in command of their faculties (unlike me) will have guessed it, Thomas Costello was born in Gibraltar (if read correctly), and was head of the family.

Next question (apart from anyone got a spare brain), does anyone know where I can obtain any relevant records for Gibraltar.

[ryan]

LOL well, atleast you know where Thomas is from now!!
If by relevent records you mean like births, marriages and deaths from Gibraltar, I would imagine that either they are held by the state of Gibraltar in some kind of island Register Office or they are held by the PRO or GRO. I'm not too sure???

Check this out: http://www.allgibraltar.org.uk/