Charles was born at Peaked Elm, Kingstanley on the Eighth of April 1847, the son of Peter Mackway, so it was recorded, whose occupation was Pin Pointer. The birth registration was in the district of Stroud, sub-district of Rodborough in the County of Gloucester, by John Stephens, Registrar. The mother was named as Charlotte Mackway, formerly Stockwell.
Charles McQuay died age 1 year and 8 months, on the Eighteenth of December 1848, of "inflammation in the bowels". This sad event happened in the hamlet of Redditch, and was registered in the district of Bromsgrove, sub-district of Tardebigg in the Counties of Worcester and Warwick, by John Osborne, Registrar. The space on the certificate labelled Occupation says, "Son of Peter McQuay (deceased) Pin Pointer".
Whilst this Registrar had got the spelling of the surname correct, the record that the child's father was deceased was incorrect! Charles' parents, Peter and Charlotte, went on to have further children and in fact did not die until 1877 and 1908 respectively.
The informant who registered the death of young Charles was Henry Waterson, who had been in attendance and lived in Redditch. We will probably never know whether it was this Informant, or the Registrar, who was the source of the misinformation.
What we do know is that ten days earlier, on the Eighth of December 1848, a 26 year old Pin Pointer with the surname McQuay had indeed died in Redditch. The Informant, who gave the cause of death as consumption, was named as Mary Waterson. She is recorded has having been in attendance at the death. The 1851 census shows Henry and Maria Waterson as husband and wife living a few doors away from the surviving Peter and his family. The Registrar who recorded the death was John Osborne.
The man who had died was named Joseph McQuay. Three and a half years later a new son of Peter McQuay (Pin Maker) and Charlotte is registered with the name Joseph, on Sixteenth of July 1852, by John Osborne, Registrar. Did Joseph and Peter, with the same surname, same job, living in the same village, know each other? Did Peter name his new baby after the Joseph who had died? Were they related? Also, exactly when and why did Peter and his family move the 50 miles from King's Stanley to Redditch?