Twits, Knobs and Windows

10 March 2015

Another day of family history madness, but today, out and about in Marlow, en route to Bourne End for a lecture this evening (delivering, not an audience member). Don’t ask me how this blog concept came together. It’s really best not to ask that question.

Firstly, I offer you, Twitt Edwin Crayford. I ask you…. Born in the Maidstone Registration District (RD), or more specifically, West Farleigh in Kent, Twitt was the son of Jethro and Maria (née Moore or Moon, the GRO index isn’t sure). Their other children have relatively normal names by comparison – Maria, Margaret, Lizzie, Jethro, Ellen and such like.

And then there was Knob Hill Palmer – you simply cannot be serious!! Born on 26 February 1902 (according to an Ancestry Public Member Tree) in Uppingham RD, he was the son of Lionel Henry and Helen Walker (née Ford) Palmer and went on to marry Edna Riley, who I am guessing may have found a nickname for him? Or perhaps she just called him Knob on a daily basis? Odd indeed. And the 1911 Ancestry transcription clearly cannot perceive that a man could be called such a ludicrous name and instead transcribes his name as HRIOB which is of course a far more sensible option (see below).

And finally, Windows George Aldridge…. he was born in June quarter 1848 in Staines RD and in 1851, was living in Church Street, Staines with his father, David and mother, Sophia and five other siblings. Where on earth did the idea of calling him Windows come from?! As a middle name, Windows is more popular than I would ever have thought, from Mary Windows Llewellen and William Windows Clarke in the early civil registration indexes to Thomas Windows Wilson and Amy Windows Poole at the end of the Victorian era. Nowt so queer as folk.

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