RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Hampshire & Isle of Wight => Topic started by: LizzieL on Saturday 19 November 11 14:23 GMT (UK)
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On the 1851 census one of my ancestors has given his place of birth as Hurstelbury in Hampshire. Does anyone know where this might be? In 1851 he was living in Hound with his family. In 1861 he gave pob as Winchester and had moved to Chewton near Milton. I think Hurstelbury is more likely to be near Winchester.
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Interesting that in 1851 Hound, theres 3 chaps with that PoB !
May be HURSLEY (not likely to be a misheard Hurstbourne etc?)
http://southernlife.org.uk/hampshire_index.htm
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3 choices!
Isaac Strong - Reference HO107, Piece 1670, Folio 60, page 19
James Purkes - HO107, 1670, 51, 1
Robert Elkins - HO107, 1670, 73, 45
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Thanks, James Purkes is my ancestor. I hadn't come across anyone else with the same POB. May be it's a small place near Hound, if there are two others from Hurstelbury in that same village.
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My first instinct is that this place name may be a distortion of Owslebury - locally pronounced as "Usslebury"?
Update: Corrected 'typo'! I get mixed up with placement of the 's' in this one and Alresford - locally pronounced as Awlsford!
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I think Owslebury is a strong possibility. I have just checked the pob of Robert Elkins in 1861 census (one of the people who was listed as Hurstelbury in 1851) and that is Owslebury.
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It would also be worth checking out Twyford, which is in very close proximity.
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Going with James Purkes born approx 1798 (from 1851 census info), the closest I can find is James Purkess baptised 2 Apr 1797 in Eling, parents James & Sarah.
Looking at old maps gives me no clues in that area :(
Isaac Strong was baptised in Twyford
Nell
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Mmmm - this is quite puzzling because James & Elizabeth were making an effort to have their children baptized at Hound whilst they were based at Thornhill Farm, Shamblehurst, South Stoneham, and a James [senr] & Hannah PURKIS were at Butlicks/Butlakes Common 1841. I did wonder if they held occasional 'gatherings of the clans' of itinerant farming folk for family celebrations and whether the baptism of a James to the latter couple in 1822 might have been a 'late' one.
There is far greater disparity between their birthplaces and ages than usual, but at least the Hound baptisms provide a common denominator. I'm unsure how/why Bittern [sic] becomes prominent in later years, unless that was where they would have wished settlement to end their days?
Somewhere, from the depths of my brain, Hazeley Down has surfaced. My paternal grandfather was a gamekeeper on the Longwood Estate so the Owslebury/Twyford/Colden Common area south of Winchester was very familiar to my father and his siblings, who attended Owslebury School in the early-1900s. I'm now wondering if Owslebury and Hazeley might have mutated to Hurstelbury in local dialect?
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Have just found marriage of James to Elizabeth Mintrum on 16 Aug 1829 in Hound. In 1841 their oldest son George is listed as born in 1827 (or rather that is calculated from stated age). There is no baptism in Hound for George Purkis, but there is for George Mintrum, son of Elizabeth Mintrum (single woman). The date of baptism is also 16 Aug 1829. So was that a way of James adopting George as his son, whether or not he was the natural father?
In 1851, George is lodging with Isaac Strong and family. Isaac being one of the other two people born in "Hurstelbury". Co-incidence?
Also in 1851, Elizabeth has just given birth a few days before to unnamed son (Henry), staying with them is Ann Purkiss described as nurse and James's sister in law. Ann is 29 and born in Romsey. Also living in Hound is another Ann Purkiss, also 29 and born in Romsey, the wife of Daniel Purkiss. Were they same person and recorded twice? She was actually helping out with the new baby on census night, but when her husband filled out the form (or more likely told the enumerator because he was probably illiterate) he forgot she wasn't actually there that night. Daniel was the son of Jacob and Mary, so if my theory is correct, then I have James's parents, or at least father. There is a big age gap between James and Daniel, so I'm not ruling out the possibility that they might be half brothers.
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What is even more significant, is that above Daniel's schedule in 1851 is Mary, widow aged 69 with grandson, William aged 15, who is missing from the household where Henry was born. James' son William was baptized 22 Nov 1835!
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Thanks I'd missed that one. So it looks as if Mary is James's mother. But Jacob had died before 1851
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Just gone back to have another look at my Purkises. George (the oldest son of James and Elizabeth, baptised as George Mintrum son of Elizabeth Mintrum on the same day as James and Elizabeth married) is listed as George Purkis on censuses and married as George Mintram Purkis to Elizabeth Strong (b Coldhams Common). It's possible she was a relative of Isaac Strong (also born Hurstelbury / Owslebury) and who George was lodging with in 1851.
Still not found where Hannah and the older James fit in. But as they were living in Butlakes Common / Hound makes me think they must be related.
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I've found that Elizabeth Strong was a daughter of Isaac Strong and his wife Ann (probably nee Clifft). She had a sister Mary who married George Gibbs. The two children of George and Mary Gibbs are with George Mintram Purkiss in 1861.
I've also found Mary Purkiss in 1841 without Jacob, but in same household as 4 unrelated adult males (possibly lodgers?).
I don't know whether it could be Jacob in Owslebury in 1841 (as Perkins) with the Dole family.