'Bracknick' for 'Brecknock' ???

[jk22]

Rootschat,

Hello.

I'm having trouble with my Welsh gggrandmother!  Sarah Watkins md and had 4 children that i know of via the Essex censuses of 1851 and 1861.  Thereafter a blank re Sarah's story.  Three of her children i know superficially quite well via the various records - censuses, BMD certificates.

On the 1851 census she gives her POB as "Bracknick, Radnorshire, Wales".  This can't be!  However would the Essex enumerator have linguistically misunderstood 'Bracknick' for Brecknock???  In which case why did she say Radnorshire?  Was she playing games with 'big brother'?

Watkins, i believe is a fairly common name in Wales and i have had paid research via Powys with little or no real increase on what i gleaned for myself via the English side of her story.  Back in her young days  Sarah may have left her father's house to either work and reside in the extended family scenario which when looking at the censuses, she doesn't appear in any household which has a William as her father along with age.  And finally with regard to age, Sarah gave two different ages on the two censuses:  in 1851 she's 37, birthyear then 1814, then in 1861 she says she's 40, birthyear thus 1821.  I've searched but remain confused!!

Would you be able to comment on anything herein please!?
Julie.

[Carrie Ann]

I know at one time part of  the area around Hay on Wye was in Brecon and half was in Rads, so maybe she came from that area and wasn`t sure which if she was born on the border..

[jk22]

Thanks Carrie Ann, that is a help just to know.

Can i ask you if you think that a Welsh lady speaking to an Englishman taking the census in 1851 in Essex would or could interpret her pronounciation/enunciation of

Brecknock as being  "Bracknick"??

It she new she came from Brecknock, but unsure as you suggest, would it still apply as per your explanation re Hay on Wye being betwixt and between county borders?  That is, is Brecknock near Hay on Wye?

This has been teasing me for too long!!  I'd love to get close to identifying my Sarah Watkins/Green.

Regards
Julie

[Carrie Ann]

the enumerators often made mistakes in the spelling of names and towns on the censusand the person giving the information would not be likely to know the correct spelling either >
she may be referring to brecon town in breconshire>
breconshire and radnorshire border each other why not raise your query on the brecon rootsweb list <there are many experts on there with superb knowledge of the area>

[jk22]

Thanks Carrie Ann.
Will do.
Julie.

[vic1]

Yes enmumerators did make  mistakes. because of accent and the border accent round hay was ( my grandad  accent was this ) sometimes extremely hard to understand as they spoke ? speak very fast . Found one of my relatives  instead of being spelt with a v  had two tt s instead wondered why i couldn't find them  even though i knew exactly where they should be and they were  just the enumerator had spelt a different surname.  the border did fluctauate a lot  between censuses as i 've found . happy hunting

[jk22]

Vic1,

Thanks very much for the explanation.

[kinged]

Hi
I think BrecknocK was the original name for Brecon.
Frank

[vic1]

Brecknock was the original name for the county. it was never actually known as Breconshire untill fairly recently  used to get shouted ar for saying brecionshire in the 60s by my grandads