Genealogy Chat

Hi I have been checking the 1851 on Ancestry for a John and Mary Thompson living in Shoreditch with son John. It shows her as being born (and 23 years before her husband???) at a place called GRDART ST MICHAEL DE QUARN. I have never heard of it and can't find it on any of my maps. Please does anyone know of it? Many thanks for help. Maggie

Will have a look on the census image. Whats her year of birth please and hubbys. At first glance at your message, would have thought first word should be Great. Quarn smacks of Arabia, doesnt it, if its the correct word. Quite a lot of people turn up with pob in the 'British Empire' where their fathers were in military or diplomatic service.

I would suggest doing a search in google for parishes in Shoreditch including the words St Michael.... I'm pretty sure Genuki has a list for 1903. ALSO FOUND THIS... .'...verse preserved in stained-glass windows (QUARN [Quarrendon Chapel, Buckinghamshire])...' another reference on the same page was LUD, for St. Martin's Church, Ludgate. It may be worth doing a search just for 'GREAT ST MICHAEL DE QUARN' or 'ST MICHAEL DE QUARN'

Thanks Heather I did look at the image, couldn't make it out. Her birth year was 1785 and his 1808 (he was born Whitechapel) son John born 1833 Shoreditch. Perhaps a new pair of eyes??

there is a place called st michael de qarn if you google

Thanks Cha Cha That was interesting about the window, I will try Genuki too. I did google St Michael de Quorn but nothing relevant came up. Rgds Maggie

Grdart is actually Ireland

go to GENUKI uk as they have a list of all the old boroughs. Before i looked, i thought some of my ancestors had made up some of their birth places. It was a relief to find they hadn't. ithought it might be Great.. perhaps Dartford or dartmouth. Perhaps they lived in a tenement building and it was this and not the road that had this name. hope this helps.

census image gives John senior's age as 43 and Mary's as 44 (I guess transcriber misread this as 64). The birthplace looks like Ireland St Michael de Quarn. Have you got her on other censuses? nell

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. I went to Genuki and found a list of Anglican churches that included ST. MICHAEL LE QUERNE....It does say it was destroyed in 1666 and not rebuilt but perhaps they kept the name of the parish (Otherwise Mary would have been much older than the 66 she claimed to be in 1851 LOL!) Unfortunately a lot of the records were destroyed, so I doubt if I will find Mary's birth or baptism...that'll make it hard to find who her parents were. You are all so helpful, I really appreciate your time and effort. Cheers Maggie.

Helen Thanks for looking it up. I did think it odd that she was so much older, I looked at the image but I couldn't make it out very well. I did look in 1861 but could not pin her down, she may have died in between times. Going now to check Ireland, just in case the London parish is not the right answer. Rgds Maggie