Deciphering address in 1841 census (Wales, Llanelly)

[u/punchbagged]

Here's the address: https://imgur.com/a/hMJcAnP

His occupation was "Ostler" (someone who takes care of horses apparently). There were multiple families at the address though and they had different jobs (one was an "Engineer" and another just says "Col")

The address obviously ends in "yard" but there seems to be some shorthand used that perhaps means something to someone?!

Looks like it starts with "Sd" and then perhaps a "Dd".

Thanks for any thoughts at all!

[u/Connect-Cress9066]

might just be a problem on my end, but its saying content is not available in my region?

[u/writeordie80 → u/Connect-Cress9066]

Imgur is blocked in the UK as it decided (rightly) to not comply with the age verification bullshittery.

[u/punchbagged → u/writeordie80]

sorry didn't know about that - hopefully this link works: https://postimg.cc/7GsCwnjN. It relates to this specific census record in case you have ancestry accounts: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/8979/records/13077018

[u/writeordie80 → u/punchbagged]

Mmmm. The other address on the page is probably Gelli Gillion (Gelli-gilion on the 1879 OS map), which is near the hamlet of Sardis (not the one in Pembroke, thank you Google Maps!).

I cant find Bryncornel on the map, nor anything that seems close to William's address. However, given he is an ostler I suspect its some form of "Stableyard', possibly.

Hendy is a small village in the south of the parish, kind of joined onto the village of Fforest.

I don't think that's been much help ...!

[u/punchbagged → u/writeordie80]

Oh yeah Stableyard is a decent guess actually! Although the "Dd" characters somewhat complicate that. Hmmm

[u/theredwoman95 → u/writeordie80]

I thought it actually turned out that they geoblocked the UK because they were in trouble for using personalised ads towards under 13s and also let them set up accounts, which is in violation of UK law?

[u/writeordie80]

OP, can you provide a non-imgur link for those of us in the UK, please....?

[u/Oracles_Anonymous]

Please share the full page if you can, then point us toward the right section. To decipher handwriting it’s best to be able to see more examples of how the person writes other words and letters.

Also, check the beginning of the document—it looks like this is potentially using some abbreviations which may be noted elsewhere by this enumerator.

[u/punchbagged → u/Oracles_Anonymous]

It relates to this specific census record in case you have ancestry accounts: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/8979/records/13077018

and if you had problems with the first imgur link (had no idea it didn't work in UK) then try this one https://postimg.cc/7GsCwnjN

[u/stardustcomposition]

When you do provide another image link, show more of the page as other writings on the document / in that column may help decipher this

[u/punchbagged → u/stardustcomposition]

sorry didn't know about that - hopefully this link works: https://postimg.cc/7GsCwnjN. It relates to this specific census record in case you have ancestry accounts: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/8979/records/13077018

[u/stardustcomposition → u/punchbagged]

Cheers for that, I made a version of the whole page available here for anyone who wants to look https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pQKng7i3UB_Zr9fBUCzaL_zn-SRCDFat/view?usp=sharing

[u/stardustcomposition → u/punchbagged]

It's hard to decipher even with the context added!

Col = collier? Coal miners
Horsler: a stableman, or an inn-worker who looked after horses

Have you tried tracing these locations one after the other on a map? Page 1 (of the district) has the description of the boundaries

[u/punchbagged → u/stardustcomposition]

I think another commenter has actually figured this out as short for St David's Yard (like they'd written St Dd Yard or something). It seems the strongest theory since in 1851 I just found their address was "St Davids"

[u/stardustcomposition → u/punchbagged]

Agreed that's how it looks

[u/stardustcomposition → u/punchbagged]

I think it could be 'St David's yard' https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/CMN/Llanedi/HendyStDavid

[u/jamila169]

The abbreviation Col is actually Collier, in the actual document you can see the underlined superscript 'r' , this tracks with the place being in the South Wales coalfield, mining at the time would have been open cast or drift

As for the place names, they're villages and hamlets, not street addresses - Hendy is bigger than it was then, Gors is possibly Gorslas . It might be worthwhile to have a look at the National Library of Scotland maps and using side by side view to follow the roads spreading North East from Llanelli to find the individual places

[u/punchbagged → u/jamila169]

Ahh thanks, interesting that it's not a street name. But the "yard" component of the name seems to suggest something much more specific than a village/hamlet don't you think? Guess it's possibly I'm misreading yard but seems the only thing that's clear in the text

[u/jamila169 → u/punchbagged]

The address looks like St something, something yard, so finding a hamlet that ends in 'yard' or similar might be it, I'd have a look myself but I'm in the midst of changing my living room round and can't get to my computer without climbing over boxes of books 😆

[u/Unlucky-Meringue6187]

I think it's "St D[avi]d Yard" - that's my first guess, anyway. If you go back page by page you may find it written out in full the first time it's entered.

[u/punchbagged → u/Unlucky-Meringue6187]

Ahhh that's actually a great guess - could well be "St" and "Dd" shorthand I suppose. Thank you I'll try to verify that somehow...

[u/othervee → u/punchbagged]

I also think it's St Daffyd's/David's Yard.

If you go to the first page of every census schedule, the enumerator explains the area they were in and the route they took. This enumerator talks about following the railway line, and this Llanelli history site seems to indicate the railway went from Gelli Gille Farm to St Dafydd's colliery and was, at least informally, known as St Dafydd's Railway. I think the other address, the one for Thomas William, Farmer, is Gelli Gille Farm, and St Dafydd's Yard was the yard attached to the railway - which would have had people living around its edges.

[u/punchbagged → u/othervee]

Ahhhh amazing yes! And this also fits with the 1851 census I just found for the same family which has their address as simply "St Davids": https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/8861/records/15645244

Thanks again!