One Fat Pig

During the week I came across a leaflet which was a purchase agreement from December 1928 between D J Dodds who agreed to sell to G W Robinson one fat pig weighing in at about 30 stones dead weight. G W R was buying the pig on what seems to be hire purchase of six shilling per week payable every Friday. This was witnessed by C Portess. Some conversions for those reading this column that don’t understand real weights and money. The 30 stones the pig weighed will convert to around 190 Kg and this was paid for at 30p per week. The shape of pigs has changed somewhat since 1926. One website gives the following information. Pigs are also referred to as growing pigs (40 - 125 pounds), and finishing pigs, weighing from 125 pounds to market weight--usually about 230 pounds. Probably because of the liking for a leaner meat the weight is now nearer 100kg almost half that of 1926.

My quest this week has been to link a marriage certificate from Liverpool in the name of bomford to an entry in the 1881 census for bamford in the parish of Windle. Many of the people concerned could not be found in several of the other censuses available and had not yet been entered into the FreeBMD database. The husband on the certificate is Alfred Barry Bomford – a grocer. The head of household on the 1881 census is Alfred B Bamford, born Cheltenham, who is the manager of a Cocoa Room, plus his wife and his children who were born in St Helens. The ages and christian names are about right but how does one prove a link between the two? Firstly, and for no apparent reason, it does not look as though the couple signed their certificate because the handwriting seems to be that of the minister and there is no evidence of ‘their mark’ so it could be that the minister just made a mistake as to the spelling. A search for the children was more successful. The youngest that turned up was Edith who was registered in the district of Prescott. The Alfred Joseph B Bamford was also to be found in Prescott and the likelihood of this combination of Christian names turning up is remote. The clincher is that of last name I found being registered. William Barry Bamford was registered in Prescott in 1863 and this was the third age that agreed with the data I had and the middle name coincided nicely with that of his father. So one can be fairly sure that the bomford is just a misspelling of the name bamford. The district of Prescott includes St Helens and Windle which was later transferred to St Helens. The Bamford name can be found in Lincolnshire but the main concentration is from the Midlands level with the Wash in a line up to Liverpool. The name comes from the ford that had a beam as a footbridge over the stream.

Bits and Bobs

To be found at www.ancestordocs.co.uk/lincolnshire - 160/4 Atkinson, James of Snitterby dated 1877. A probated copy of a Will in parchment along with certificate of Probate which has a wafer seal attached. Listed are the daughters Mary Jane (w/o Joseph Thomas of Snitterby), Martha (w/o Matthew Swallow), Elizabeth deceased (w/o George Wilkins of Lewisham, Kent) and her children Charlotte Elizabeth, George, James, Mary Ann, Emma, Martha Matilda, Harry & Jane. Several pieces are missing (having the appearance of burns) from the bottom edge which does not affect the text. There is one small hole in text with loss of 2 letters. £17