Reading the Redditch 1851 census

In the early days of trying to uncover more about my ancestors I found that Peter McQuay (Maquay) was a Pin Pointer in the 1851 census in Redditch, Worcestershire, England.  I was delighted to be able to buy a printed transcript and surname index for the area.  Produced by the Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry (BMSGH, now called Midland Ancestors), as I write there are still copies available in their online shop (Bromsgrove Part 3 - 1851 census Surname index Volume 10, BMSGH Product Code: B007, Public Record Office Reference: HO 107/2047).

As part of my research I eagerly reviewed the whole 200+ pages of the comb bound book.  From reading through all the names, occupations and places of birth I was able to find the following people in the census (spelling and case as in the transcript, place Redditch unless otherwise written with the page number, context and information from other sources added in italics):

• People with the name McQuay, and those related to them, living in Redditch in 1851:
• MAQUAY, Peter age 30 Pin Pointer born IRL Dublin (see Occupation Pin Pointer (Tin Painter)), Charlotte age 31 (see The age of the census), Eugene son age 5 and Charles son age 1 month (p482, Britten Street, schedule number 28)
• HOLLIS, Mary A age 23 Lodger Unmarried, with James son age 8 months (p595, Red Lion Street) - baby James died about six months later in October 1851; two years after that, in December 1853, Mary Ann married John McQuay (vicar and witnesses listed below)
• MUNSLOW, Timothy age 72 Blacksmith and Elizabeth age 83 with grandchildren HOLLIS Joseph age 6 and Elizabeth age 2 (p498, Evesham Street) - young Joseph and Elizabeth were children of Mary Ann Hollis (see above) and actually the great-grandchildren of Timothy and Elizabeth Munslow

• People named on civil registration records as registrar, informant, vicar or witness:
• OSBORNE, John - Banker's agent and Registrar of Births & Deaths (p563) - wrote and signed civil registrations in 1848 and 1852 (McQuay), 1859 (MacQuay), 1860 (Macquay)
• WATERSON, Henry and Maria (p481, Britten Street) - informants named on one death death certificate each in 1848 (see Same surname, same job, same village)
• COX, Elizabeth (p486, Windsor Street) - informant named on McQuay death registrations in 1859 and 1860
• MacKARNESS, John Fielder - Vicar of Tardebigg (Tutnal & Cobley, p441) - marriage of John McQuay (Maquay) and Mary Ann Hollis in 1853
• WHITTINGTON, Thomas (p482, Britten Street, schedule number 030) - marriage witness
• SHRIMPTON, Emma (p524) - marriage witness

The total number of people recorded in the 1851 census in Redditch is over 4,500.  Of those, 40 were identified as being born in Ireland, but none of them were involved in the same industry as my ancestor Peter.  Altogether I have counted 45 Needle Pointers and 35 Needle Manufacturers in Redditch at that time, but there were only 3 Pin Pointers (including Peter, see above) and 1 person specifically who was a Pin manufacturer.

• ROBERTS, Richard, age 25, Pin pointer, born Warmington, Warwickshire (p529)
• JONES, William Henry, age 36, Pin pointer, born Birmingham, Warwickshire (p536)
• HOLYOAKE, Thomas, age 54, Needle & pin manufacturer, born Redditch Worcestershire (p544)

Of course, a computer search of the 1851 census of Redditch could take you straight to names of interest.  However, that would miss the joy of discovering unrelated people such as Godfrey Rock, Clock Maker born in Hamburg Germany (p598) and Ann Wyers, Tripe Maker (p555).  Thank you to Mrs A.F. Friend for the transcription, indexing and computer processing which led to the production of a book of such delights.