Genealogy Chat

I am reading the Autobiography of a man named Richard Hillyer published 1967.
In the book he says the family lived in Byfield or Biffield as they called it. The only Byfield I can find on a map is in Northamptonshire he refers to his village as being a remote south-country village just before the 1914 war and gives various names of people he knew growing up there.

I have searched every census form for Byfield Northamptonshire in 1911 (all 500 of them) and no family at all named Hillyer or variations of it. Does anyone know if there is a Byfield in another county?

Other names mentioned are Lord Postern who owned the farms and cottages where the family lived but again I can find no Lord Postern living in that area.

The vicars name was Mr Driffield and Richard says his own grandmothers name was Sally Hillyer he said she was pronounced mad and committed to a local asylum in her old age but again I cannot find a Sally Hillyer in Byfield on any census pre 1911 either.

When I read autobiographies about the past I always like to check them out on the ancestry censuses usually with good results, but this time I am drawing a blank and that frustrates me. I suppose I like proof the family did exist and live where the author says they did.

Richard Hillyer says he had a brother John and a sister Ellen they lived Brandy Hole Lane Byfield (so named because a public house had once stood there) he also mentioned his grandmother Sally’s funeral taking place in Byfield the family he says lived not a quarter of a mile from Byfield church so why can’t I find them on the 1911 census for Byfield?

He does mention another town called Billington but I can’t find a Billington in Northamptonshire.

Any ideas? It’s just a bit of fun really but for me it adds to the enjoyment of this kind of book.

Pat

Found this??

1891 England Census

Name: Harriett Eyler
Age: 29
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1862
Relation: Servant
Gender: Female
Where born: Byfield, Northamptonshire, England

Civil parish: St George Hanover Square
Ecclesiastical parish: St Marks
Town: London City
County/Island: London

Registration district: St George Hanover Square
Sub-registration district: Mayfair

Harry B L Sedgwick 33
Carline S Sedgwick 29
Harriett Eyler 29
Eliza E Keck 47
Alfred Crew 24
George Jone 34
Thomas Frances 41
Mare J Draper 42
Rachel Rus 19
Louisa Willems 47

I think there is also a Byfield in Warwickshire.
Jan

Also:

1891 England Census

Name: Elizabeth Eller
Age: 51
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1840
Relation: Servant
Gender: Female
Where born: Byfield, Surrey, England

Civil parish: Kingston
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mark
Town: Surbiton
County/Island: Surrey

Registration district: Kingston
Sub-registration district: Kingston

Cuguslur Shephead 86
Henrietta Shephead 72
Lorean Eller 55
Elizabeth Eller 51
Ellen Cooper 25

Have you tried Freebmd? If you use phonetc search for surnames and specify Daventry, there are several Hillier/Hillyers liosted.
Jan

Also - have you tried a google search for 'richard hilyer byfiedl'? It gives you Richard Hillyer - 2 l's - but seems to revolve around Bucks.

http://little-corner-of-the-earth.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/country-boy.html

According to this, the name and places have been fictionalised, though his book is autobiographical.

Jan

According to a review of his book on Amazon, his real name was Charles James Stranks.

Thank you very much brummiejan no wonder I can't find anybody from all the names he gives in the book. Most autobiographies I have read of a similar nature I have found the author and others mentioned without any difficulty.

My own ancestors were all farm labourers my grandmother had 14 children 5 of whom died soon after birth 3 in 2nd quarter of one year from whooping cough. I'll check out his real name and birth place thanks all for the input

Pat

All the details are on the site given above.
Jan

1911 England Census about Charles Stranks
Name: Charles Stranks
Age in 1911: 9
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1902
Relation to Head: Son
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Hardwick, Buckinghamshire, England
Civil parish: Hardwick and Weedon
County/Island: Buckinghamshire
Country: England
Street Address: Rothschilds Cottages Hardwick, Bucks
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: School
Registration district: Aylesbury
Registration District Number: 146
Sub-registration district: Waddesdon
ED, institution, or vessel: 04
Household schedule number: 36
Piece: 7945
Household Members:
Name Age
Joseph Stranks 46
Elizabeth Stranks 46
Harry Stranks 23
Albert Stranks 17
Arthur Stranks 12
Charles Stranks 9


Quite disappointed they don't live at Brandy Hole Lane will still enjoy the book but will be wondering what is fact and what is fiction now.

:-(

Thank goodness for google is all I can say! Seems a very strange thing to do, but nowt as queer as folk is there!
Jan

Hello again Jan, I thought you might like to know that I contacted the owner of the blog you directed me to about the book Country Boy and we exchanged emails about other books and then got on to the subject of ancestors. He mentioned that his own mother's family were farm labourers in Warbleton in Sussex and that his mothers maiden name was Beal.

My husbands mothers maiden name was also Beal and her family came from Warbleton in Sussex so I gave him her ancestral lineage and it turned out there was a connection via a gg grandfather.

Surprising what can be found just by reading the same books.

Pat

Hello Pat.
That's pretty remarkable isn't it! Very interesting I must say and quite a co-incidence. Maybe the ancestors were looking down and pushing you in that direction! (Only kidding, do not worry!).
Thanks for the update.
Jan