Mary Laidler - Missing Years

[alisporter]

Thank you for all that information. That appears to be the family.

John Laidler the Joiner's father gives Wooler as his birth place in 1851, I will check the other census entries. It is John Laidler in Blenkinsopp who states Talkin as his birth place, but he was born later around 1797. 

Would Whitwham be a house name, or a place?

[alisporter]

Thanks for that suggestion Valda, I can see John Laidler, born Alendale on census 1841-1861. He is not the father of John Laidler, Joiner, nor is he John Laidler, born Talkin, in Blenkinsopp 1851!


Now I will try and trace the other Johns to see if I can establish some sort of link (if any!).

[Valda]

Taken from

http://www.thenortheast.fsnet.co.uk/Place%20Name%20Meanings%20T%20to%20Y.htm

'Wham is still used as a dialect word in Northumberland, Cumbria, Scotland and Yorkshire to describe a marshy hollow or a hollow within a hill or a mountain. A number of Whams can be found in Northumberland including Ulwham and Ulgham (originally Ulweham) and Whitwham. The first two both mean the hollow frequented by an ul or an owl, the latter means white hollow and may have the same meaning as Hvitar Hvammar found in Iceland.'

Whitwham appears to be in or near Lambley - nearest larger place Haltwhistle - all in Northumberland but adjacent to the Brampton and Lanercost area in Cumberland. Wooler though still in Northumberland is further north and the other side of the Cheviot Hills which would form a transport barrier between the two areas.

I think the surname Laidler may be not uncommon in the Brampton/Haltwhistle area. Eleanor Forster's farm owning family seem in a slightly higher social class than Mary Laidler and her daughters in Newcastle. The Wooler Laidlers seem to be at this point complete red herrings irrespective of the police and joiner coincidences (such coincidences 'litter' family history).

I think you  need to investigate the illegitimate baptism of Mary Laidler in Hayton and whether there was a bastardy order for the child as well as checking the Brampton parish registers thoroughly and those in the surrounding area for other possible Mary Laidler baptisms and/or Eleanor baptisms, marriages or burials. I would start from there instead of trying to tie Laidler families who lived/live in the area to Mary through later censuses, well passed the date of Mary's birth. If the Laidler surname was relatively common in the area that means you would have to research what might be several other Laidler families who in the end may have no connection to Mary. Even if you did that, to prove a possible connection to Mary you still have to go back to my opening suggestion in the hope of establishing any evidence which proves a connection.

This is a better methodology than trying to make possibly 'tenuous' connections to Laidler families through censuses when census evidence alone is not sufficient to prove such connections. Just because there is easier internet access to censuses you cannot rely on them alone when a birth like Mary's is pre the earliest census and she does not appear with her family on any of them. I think any evidence you might find to establish Mary's origins (unless you can find her on an earlier census) resides in Cumbria Record Office and not at this point on the Internet.

http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/archives/

Regards

Valda

[alisporter]

Thanks Valda, I will make enquiries with the link you suggest.