RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cheshire => Topic started by: windeatt on Wednesday 04 February 09 10:57 GMT (UK)
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Hello I need some help interpreting the handwriting of a surname. I very occasionally buy old photos with names on the back in the faint hope that they might prove useful to someone eventually. I have a photo of a nine year old girl called Margaret dated 1877 and I can't read the surname . . . I'm hoping that someone with knowledge of local families might recognise the surname . .
http://www.windeatt.f2s.com/foundfotos/margaret_back_horizontal.jpg
The front of the photo is at
http://www.windeatt.f2s.com/foundfotos/margaret.htm
Thanks, Sandra
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Hi Sandra
There is a Lamont
RG10/3685 folio 59 pg 29
Wythenshaw Road Sale
Richard Lamont H 34 born Scotland
Ann Lamont W 32 born Scotland
Margarget Lamont 6 born Lancashire Ulverston (I think)
Mary Lamont 4 born Sale
A.....(can't read it sorry) dau 1 born Sale
But then looking at it again I'm not so sure. I'll take another look at the census.
Kind regards
Su
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Yes, thanks. It *could* be LAMONT - hadn't thought of that at all - although the second letter looks a bit too big to be an A and too definitely different to be a part of the L.
And, sadly, the ages don't match - not that we can ever be sure of ages anyway. Many thanks for looking. Were you listing that family from the 1871 or the 1881?
And, of course, Margaret could have come from elsewhere . . . one of the other photos I found was of a lady from Roxburghshire but it was taken in Bournemouth. And I have a family in Devon who had a photo taken in Manchester!
S
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It looks a bit like Sherret to me.
Lizzie
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Yes, that looks likely. Thanks. Is that a name local to the area? ('fraid I only know about Devon where we have lots of lovely Nosworthys, Widicombes, Winnecotts, Coneybeares, Comberbatches, Petherbridges, Nankivells, Endicotts, etc - all subject to infinite numbers of spelling variations and mistranscriptions . . . Lovely!)
[LATER]
I've found a Margaret Ann SHERRAT on the Cheshire BMD born in 1867 in Stockport. And another (also SHERRAT) born 1868 in Warrington. So either could be her I guess.
Also found on FREE BMD a Margaret Sherratt (1867 Stockport), a Margaret SKERRAT (1867 Manchester), a Margaret SKERRATT (1868 Wolstanton), a Margaret SHERATT (1869 Warrington) and a Margaret SHERRETT (1869 Salford)
So spoiled for choice. But a variant of that surname looks very likely - and it obviously is a local name.
Thanks again!
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I don't know if Sherrett is particularly local to the area, but when I was at school in the area during the 1940s/50s there were a few children with that surname and also there was a publishers called Sherrett and Hughes. I believe a bookshop of the same name in Manchester has long since been taken over by Waterstones or similar.
Lizzie
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Ta, I'll update the page. I wonder what the poor girl was so bundled up for - being sent off to Canada or something, I shouldn't wonder . . .
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I've found a Margaret Ann
Her middle names are k.H though Arnt they?
Celia
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Might be Margaret, middle initials A H, Harnet,?
Born in 1868, can one search on free bmd with no surname?
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I came back to have another look, very intriquing and frustrating. ;D
Looking at the first letters it could indeed strat with 'Sh' or 'Sl' of even 'Th' ( the writer, in other words he writes, does not finish the letters fully. The next letter looks like a or o I wondered it it could start with 'Thom. ? Thomset?
There is a place to look up names and where they are most clustered in censuses.
http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk
Thomsett seems to be clustered south of London
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Thanks very much for still puzzling over this . . . I have updated the page and added in all the suggested names in case anyone who may actually know of her does a search. I think I lean towards SHERRET (or a variant thereof) because there seem to be a lot in the area born around that time. I don't know why but I feel a bit sorry for her all bundled up in her great big coat.
http://www.windeatt.f2s.com/foundfotos/margaret.htm
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My young friend reckons it says Stournet :-\
Celia
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She does look a bit overwhelmed by the coat. It seems unusual to have her so covered up for a photo. It makes me think that someone, if not Margaret herself, was quite proud of her outfit and wanted to show it off. Perhaps it had just been made or bought for her.
Is the cut or style of the coat unusual for that time? I don't think I have seen many photos of people wearing coats. I remember reading somewhere that ladies did not wear coats that much in the past, but had capes and shawls instead . Perhaps one of her relatives was a tailor with a brand new idea for young girls' fashion and was using her as advertising . :)
Perhaps the photographer was trying new and creative ways of presenting his subjects to show prospective customers that all photographs do not have to be posed in traditional ways.
I wish we could find out about her. Maybe she was not born in Sale but was just visiting.