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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: Brie on Tuesday 14 August 18 17:40 BST (UK)
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Hello,
We are stumped with this place-name in Staffordshire.
Looking at the name we think it is Rob Cluse and therefore the place-name starts with an R. Couldn't find anywhere that fitted the bill though. Also looked through place-names beginning with B to no avail. Any ideas?
I hope this works but I have taken a snippet (thankyou Kiltpin for your snippet lesson) and I shall now try and post it!
Brie
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my first thought was Badesly. There is Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire...was that ever in Staffordshire?
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Thanks for your reply. I'm not sure but I don't think so. I thought from memory that Baddesley was just over the Leicestershire border into Warwickshire - on the other side of Watling Street - but I'll see if I can find it on an old map.
Brie
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Looking at the name we think it is Rob Cluse and therefore the place-name starts with an R.
The forename is: Rob(er)t
There's a superscript t near the initial of the surname.
I agree that the place name starts with R.
It looks like Rudsley to me. Possibly Rudeley.
My best reading of the surname is the same as yours.
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Could it be Rugeley?
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Thank you. The surname is definitely Cluse - it is clear elsewhere in the document and it is the Cluse family I'm workng on.
Like you we went for Robert because of the small t (I don't know how to type superscript), but as the only place-names we could find that began with Ru were Rudyard, Rugeley & Rushton we thought we would look at B as well. Again no luck. I had plumped for Rudsley too but we haven't found it in our old gazetteer. We wondered if it was perhaps a very local name. We do know that our London Cluses did have a connection with Blithfield so it may possibly be near there.
Brie
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Hello Purlin and thank you
I did consider that as the bottom of the g may have been smudged, but even if that was allowed there are 2 clear upstrokes so I don't think it is. If nothing else comes up though I may see if I can find a Robert Cluse on the Rugeley PRs, wherever they can be found.
Brie
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Could it be Rugeley?
The third letter is definitely a d. Compare to Staffordshire.
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It looks to me like Burdsley - could it be an attempt at Burslem?
Where is the document from? If it originated in Staffordshire you'd expect them to have got it right, but if it was from miles away and relying on good pronunciation and good hearing, it might have got a bit mangled.
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I think you could well be right. It is an apprenticeship document from London. Rudsley could be a mishearing of Rugeley.
Again Burdsley/Burslem but I'm inclined to the first letter being an R.
Thank you
Brie
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I used to live in Rugeley and the locals pronounced it Rudgeley so perhaps it is that.
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Hi,
This is a long shot and doesn't address the place name issue, but have you looked at familysearch.org?
There is an entry for a Robert Cloose son of Robert Cloose christened on 7 Aug 1719 in Mayfield, Staffordshire - he was buried in Mayfield in 1797. A tree on the same site has his name as Robert Clews - his father Robert (1688) marrying Dorothy Hardy in Mayfield in 1712.
I wondered if this was the family you were seeking?
Alan
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First letter "R", 3rd letter "d" as in Staffor"d"shire.
Mispronunciation of somewhere ?
Malky
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Bearman, that is interesting, helps support the mishearing hypothesis. Malky if it is a d that would also tie up with what Bearman says. I think overall it is looking as if there is no such place as Rudsley but Rugeley is a possible. I think I will have a look at Rugeley's records next.
Alan, I have a Cluse family in London which I have traced back through the censuses. The earliest one I have died before the 1841 census so I don't know where he was born. However, we have his will and a copy of his wedding licence. He married a woman from Blithfield in Blithfield. He was from London.
Cluse and its variants appear to be Staffordshire based names. We have always suspected that our Samuel Cluse originated from Staffordshire, perhaps a few generations earlier. The apprenticeship documents may provide the link but obviously it is early days yet.
Brie
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Thanks for the expanded version - I'm now happy to agree that the first letter is 'R'. It's a bit florid, but of course I should have thought of comparing it with the 'R' of Robt.
Anyway, forget about Burslem - Rudsley/Rugeley now seems a much better suggestion.
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Rugeley is very near to Blithfield, we used to drive by Blithfield Reservoir.
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Ah thank you for that. I have been looking at Family Search and there are loads of Clews there. I think these will be my family but I need to collect a lot more evidence. It would explain why my Samuel Cluse in London came to Blithfield to marry.
Brie
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I agree with Bearnan as i live in Rugeley and i pronounce it Rudgeley which most of my friends do but we come of the council estates,people from the wealthy areas pronounce it Rouge-eley,so can be scribed down wrong.One of my friends is a Clews(old Rugeley family) which seems a close offshoot of Cluse.