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.

Same surname, same job, same village

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?