1841 Census England Lancashire

1841 Census England Lancashire

1841 Census England Lancashire

Discovering serious criminals among your ancestors is a risk for family historians. It can be a source of embarrassment if not shame. But it can also lead to a wealth of information about the individuals concerned and social conditions at the time. By an odd inversion of justice, the more egregious the crime the more copious and colourful will be the newspaper accounts that the genealogist can draw upon.

Murder in the Family

Consider the murder of Nevell Norway in February 1840. Norway was murdered one night as he rode alone on horseback from Bodmin in the English county of Cornwall to his home six miles away near Wadebridge. The story electrified the county, partly because Norway was so well respected and partly because of the brutal nature of the attack.

Search and Arrest

The area will have seemed far more remote 168 years ago than it does now. But out of sight of the main road and the modern Camel Valley cycle trail the steep, thickly forested valleys and narrow, winding tracks may lead even the modern visitor to lose all sense of direction.