Still at School

 

Having spent the afternoon working at Grasby Primary School building 'affordable homes for birds' I was beginning to wonder about the subject for this week. Then Julie came to the rescue with a request to look at her name of interest – URWIN. This is an ancient name that goes back to the time of the Conqueror's invasion and the Domesday Book. EUERUINUS was living in Hampshire in 1066 and twenty years later when the Domesday Book was written Gilchrist filius ERUINI could be found in Norfolk. Although the name had its origins down south the main concentration for it in 1881 was in the area of Durham. During the next hundred years plus the main concentration moved just a few miles up the road to Newcastle although there are pockets of URWINS throughout the country, it is from Newcastle that Julie's family came. Not a very numerous name and in the 1901 census there were less than 140 individuals in Newcastle. The greater number of these lived in Elswick. Not many were straight forward labourers but were clerks of one sort or another. They worked for banks, builders, ironmongers, railways and the Cooperative. One piece of information that Julie gave me was the family tale that the URWINs came from Ireland. In the 1901 census there is but one person with Irish ancestry and this is Margaret aged 63 and born in Ireland. Her husband, Thomas H, was a Dental Surgeon. I wonder if this is the family. The name is derived from the Old English Eoforwine which means a boar-friend although I must admit I am unsure what that means but I think that sincerity and trustworthiness comes into it.

The name I have been working on just recently is that of HARMSTON. The family comes from the Folkingham area and the search is on at the moment for the marriage of John & Mary. Thus far there has been a distinct lack of success for there is no mention of the marriage in the Lincolnshire Family History Society fiche for 1754-1812. The mention of John being married to Mary comes from the baptism of James so there is always a possibility that there is an error in the register if the priest filled it in at a later date. A look at the Bishop's Transcripts might resolve this. The problem here is that you do not know if the BT was taken from the register thus perpetuating the mistake. A check of the registers for another birth could help especially if there is no burial of a Mary but this is a burial at some stage of the wife of John.

Bits and Bobs

LRSM -1st January 1875 - Public Notice; Whereas I, John NUNDY, of Wispington, Farmer, have raised a report calculated to injure the characters of the Sons of Mr Joseph WALTER of Barsey Walk, Farmer, and Mr Andrew EVISON of Wispington, Farmer, by charging Mr WALTER´s Sons with taking my Pigeons, and Mr EVISON with receiving them, knowing them to have been so taken. Now I do hereby publically declare that such charges are utterly untrue and without foundation, and I regret having said anything that could reflect on the honesty of either Mr. WALTER, his Sons, or Mr. EVISON, all of whom I believe to be perfectly honest and honourable men. Signed this 29th day of December, 1874. John NUNDY; Witness R. CLITHEROW, Solicitor, Horncastle.