Anyone want any searches or photos done in Whitehaven

[bobgraham]

That is a curiosity as frebmd have no record of him either yet claim to have a 100% transcription for several years around the time of his birth. In fact the only Moreland listed for Whitehaven around that time is a Mary in 1873.
As they used to say on that program with Goldie Hawn "Verrry interesting"
bob

[atom12]

Hi Bob

Thanks for that check, even if it proved fruitless.  It sure is a mystery if the freeBMD are claiming to hold 100% of the records.

Perhaps the parish registers will divulge something !!!

Still hopefull

Anne 

[bobgraham]

It was still compulsary (compulsory?  - sorry my spullchuck isn't working) to register the birth so should be there. I also checked for the whole of "Cumberland" as it was then but still nothing.
bob

[atom12]

Thanks Bob

I wonder where he is hiding eh!  I'm sure he was proud of being a Cumbrian as his daughter often said her Dad was from Cumberland (but she never mentioned Whitehaven).

I used to imagine that he was from Moreland or West Moreland with his surname, only to find out otherwise of his Whitehaven birth in more recent times. 

So do you think the Whitehaven Records Office would have some info on him Bob?

[bobgraham]

I would doubt that the records office have more than the official records. If his dad came from Ireland have you tried the official Irish records website.  I know there is a problem there as there was a huge fire at the official records office and loads were lost - bit like lots of WW! records being lost when Kew was hit during WW2.
St.Bergs is about the only catholic church I know in Whitehaven itself but St. Benedicts is in Moresby next door - Pixie may Know better.
If you put "whitehaven catholic churches" without the " in your search bar then a post comes up for the irish diaspora which might be of interest. Just south of whitehaven are cleator and cleator moor which were well known enclaves.
Happy hunting
bob

[Subaru]

Hi Anne

Bob is right about St Beghs church being the catholic church in Whitehaven.  St Benedicts is in Mirehouse, but wasn't there in those days.  There is also St Marys on Kells, above Whitehaven, also wasn't there then.  St Beghs is your best bet, but if you don't have a birth certificate to go on, and no definite date, it will be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
St Marys at Cleator is about ten minutes away, but it depends if he actually lived in Cleator or Egremont.
St Beghs only have a few records in the record office, their books haven't been transcribed yet.
I hope you find something.  William sounds like my grandfather - very elusive - I haven't found anything about him, and I've been looking for 15 years!!!

Good luck

Rosemary

[atom12]

Thanks to you both Rosemary and Bob for your help 

I have emailed St Beghs hoping they can help, so will get back to you and keep you informed if I hear anything from them.

At the guest house we stayed in at Whitehaven, the lady told us about Cleator Moor being of mainly Irish stock.  We had a wander about the cemetery there and found no signs of relatives, also visited the main cemetery in Whitehaven and found nothing, so I guess they all moved to Scotland.

Like you Rosemary, I wonder if the elusive details of his birth will ever come to the fore! 

Anne

[Subaru]

Hi Anne

St Marys at Cleator don't have many old graves left.  I was up there a few months ago with my mother-in-law, who could remember visiting her grandmother's grave just by the church, but it wasn't there.  We visited the priest's house, who told us the map/plan of the graveyard had been destroyed in a fire a few years earlier, so they have no record of who is buried there, and whereabouts.  He also said that some of the graves are under the wide tarmac path that goes around the side of it.  There is also a newish porch on the side of the church.  I wouldn't be surprised if there are also graves underneath there. 

So your relations could be there, under the path, like ours.  Also if they didn't have much money at the time, they may just have had a wooden cross, which could have rotted away with time.  I was really upset that they were allowed to do that with the path, how dare they?

Good luck with St Beghs.

Best wishes

Rosemary

[Andi R]

Hi folks

Yes I am alive and well and would like to appologise if anyone was waiting for answers from me

I've been away and had a bit of a difficult time, genealogy has been one of the last things on my mind

Andrew R