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This is a bit of a long shot and a tall order.

I have death certificates stating that
William Williams died 11 Feb 1919
Anne Williams (nee Davies) died 22 Nov 1918

According to burial records I stumbled across they are both buried in St Sulians, Lampeter. They both died in Lampeter. To be honest, I'm not even sure if the church is still there.

I am finding it difficult to locate birth records because the names are so common in that area so wondered if the headstones (if they still exist) might state the birth dates of them.

Is there someone in that area who might be able to check for birth dates for me please?

Many thanks in advance.

1881 census
Causbrook family
James abt 1851 born Middx (actually James Hall Causbrook born 22 Apr 1850)
Matilda abt 1851 born Middx (actually Matilda nee Spurway born 24 May 1849)
Henry abt 1878 born Middx (actually Henry William Causbrook born 20 Jan 1878 - also known as Harry)
Julia abt 1880 born Middx (actually Julia Elizabeth Causbrook born qtr Jun 1880)
All at 48 Stoneleigh Street, Kensington

My grandfather James Walter Causbrook was born 10 Dec 1881 – after the 1881 census unfortunately.
His father James Hall (listed above) I now know died, 6 Dec 1881 ie 2 days before his son’s birth.

Henry married 1902 and I’ve found him on the 1901 census but not the 1891
Julia married 1903 and I can’t find her on the 1891 or 1901 census
James Walter married 1906 and I can’t find him on the 1891 or 1901 census

I’ve searched high and low using every mis-spelling I can think of for the death of Matilda Causbrook (their mother) and can’t find a death (or remarriage)

It seems that once the father (James Hall) died the family disappeared off the radar. I wondered if perhaps the mother died soon after and the children got split up and sent away but cannot find them anywhere (other than one child on one census) until they marry and then I can trace them thereafter.

I’d be really happy if I could only find the death of Matilda.

Any thoughts on where they could be hiding please?

Many thanks in advance.

I searched for ages and ages for a death index then eventually found it. I was looking for James Hall Causbrook and I stumbled across an index for James Hall CaNsbrook. The registration district seemed right, the age at death was right so I sent off for a copy of the death certificate feeling that the name on the certificate would read CaUsbrook. And indeed it did!
So the entry in the birth register was correct but when the index was created a slip was made. Curiously, I had the same problem with my niece and nephew. I knew when they were born and out of interest looked for their index. Again their surname on the index was really wrong but obviously the entry in the register book is correct. I think their parents would have spotted such a glaring error. So it makes me wonder, when you know for 150% sure that the index is wrong is there any way of getting it corrected?

I have a wedding between James Hall Causbrook and Matilda Spurway Dec 1876 – the Causbrook side is fine but the Spurway side is odd.
The certificate says father William Spurway – pattern maker
‘Both of full age’ so no help on approximate birth date – though later census when she is married to Causbrook gives a birth year of approx. 1850ish
A witness is Julia Spurway.
I’ve looked for Matilda Spurway on the census and found a few mentions of her with her family – with a sister named Julia and various other siblings who all seem to tie up. With a father William who is a carpenter and a mother Harriett. Later census says William is a model maker (pattern maker ?)
I looked for a marriage of a William Spurway to a Harriet and in fact found only two, one was far too late but the other in 1839 (which ties up with the census info.) was to a Harriett Leech. So I sent off for the birth certificate of my Matilda Spurway just to be sure, (as you do) and was amazed when the certificate arrived and the mother's maiden name was NOT Leech. To make matters worse we struggled to decipher it (isn’t it always the way!) I thought I must have sent for the wrong certificate but there are not many Matilda Spurway and only one in London anything near the right date. The name on the certificate looks like Mares (could be Mare).
So I wondered if Harriett Leech was a widowed Mare (this happened to me on another puzzle I had) so out of desperation I sent off for the marriage certificate of William Spurway and Harriett Leech. This arrived today and it just says she was a spinster – so that must have been her birth name. However, I noticed that one of the witnesses was a Thomas MARE. This jumped out at me so I crashed around a bit and found 2 marriages – both in Bristol (correct area – first few children were born in Bristol) – one June 1839 – a William Spurway is on the same page. One Sep 1839 (Harriet Farrington Leech) – a Thomas MARE is on the same page.

This all seems so curious. Why would the birth certificate of Matilda say maiden name Mare when I was expecting Leech? Made more curious by the fact that two Harriet Leech wed about the same time, one to a Spurway and one to a Mare. A later census has another sibling born who I found to be born at the same address as my Matilda – parents William and Harriet Spurway – which rather confirmed in my mind that the birth certificate I have for my Matilda is the correct one.