Maud Mary Sewell

[Aussiebattler]

I am looking for birth /baptism details of particularly the place of birth

Maud Mary Sewell
Father Nathaniel Sewell
Mother Elizabeth Sewell born Anderson
Born 5 Nov 1866 Staffordshire. (1871 census states birth place as Linder Dale Staffordshire I don't think this village exists, I believe it maybe Levedale, Staffordshire).
Baptized 13 Jan 1867 Meir Heath Staffordshire (St. Matthews) Her sister Alice baptized at the same time
Cheers

[Pam Downes]

Hello Aussiebattler,

Welcome to British-Genealogy.

If you want to know exactly where and when Maud was born then I 'm afraid you have no alternative but to apply for a copy of her birth certificate.
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/c...ates/login.asp
You can opt for a black-and-white PDF copy of the certificate which is about a third cheaper than a fancy certified pink copy.

Some trees on Ancestry have her born 5 November 1866 in Levedale, Staffordshire, though whether people have copied other trees is impossible to know. Other trees say she was born either 5 May or 5 November, in Dale, Cumberland. I know how those dates differ - in the UK we usually write a date as day/month/year, in the US they write it as month/day/year. So UK 5/11/1866 (5 Nov) would be interpreted in the US as 11 May. (Which is why you should always write the name, not the number, of the month in your records.

Not sure why you're asking for her baptism record as you already have those details. The image (on Findmypast) looks to me to say Leyton Dale as the abode, but I can't easily find any where of that description. Though vicars were notorious for writing what they thought someone said as well as making a guess at how something was spelt. (Which is why, for example, you get the surname Eaton spelt as Eighteen. )

Maud's birth was registered in Stone registration district
https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/stone.html

Alice's birth was registered in Lambeth (London) the previous year so that's no help.

Going down yet another rabbit hole - Meir Heath is near to/part of Stoke on Trent (which is in Stone registration district) and reading the Genuki entry for Stoke
https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/STS/Stoke
near the bottom of the first section it says

Fenton, in the two manors and liberties of Fenton Culvert and Fenton Vivian, forms a populous suburb, extending from Stoke to Longton, with many neat houses and large china and earthenware manufactories, and the hamlets of Lane Delph, Foley, and Sideaway.

Fenton is sort-of south-east of Stoke and on the present day map there's a big (D-i-y?) store at a place called Meir Park a bit further south-east of Fenton.
Seabridge, where the family is living in 1871, is sort-of south-west of Stoke.

[helachau]

The "Hatch, Match, Despatch" column of the Staffordshire Sentinel, 10 Nov 1866, has " ... at Leaden Vale, near Stone ..."

[helachau]

https://maps.nls.uk/view/101596295

Top left hand corner is Meir Heath and immediately to the South is "Leadendale". Looks a reasonable bet?

[Pam Downes]

The "Hatch, Match, Despatch" column of the Staffordshire Sentinel, 10 Nov 1866, has " ... at Leaden Vale, near Stone ..."

Excuse me. I was just congratulating myself on finding Meir actually marked on a map, and now I've got to try and find Leaden Vale. (You can so go off people. )

Meir first of all.
https://www.familysearch.org/mapp/
Search for Fenton, and then select the on in Staffordshire.
Enlarge the parish (shown in purple) and then gradually move it left, and up, so that eventually you have the blue teardrop marker almost underneath the 'p' of map (though not touching it); Heron Cross is seen on the left, and Staffordshire is written centrally across the map.
You shown be able to see Longton Park, written in green right at the bottom of the screen (slightly left of middle). Then just above 'terms of use' in the bottom right you will see Meir.
Alternatively, on google maps, search for Meirheath, and if you look immediately above the marked are you see Meir Heath post office and a couple of other please spelt Meir Heath. Those are to the southwest of the Meir on the jurisdiction map.

Further digging - see Normicott with Meir Heath, etc.
https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/ST.../ListedGaz1859
Though why it comes under Stone in Genuki is puzzling.

However, keeping it simple, and going back to the baptism record which says the church was St Matthew, Meir Heath, and then searching for St Matthews church Meir Heath you end up at
https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/4397/
where the address ends in Stoke on Trent. (Obviously Stoke has expanded since 1866.)

All attempts by me to find Leaden Vale have failed. You need to find some old maps which will hopefully show it.
Try our maps 'sticky'
https://www.british-genealogy.com/fo...arish-Locators
The last link in the maps section - the National Library of Scotland has maps for England as well.

[helachau]

Pam,
See post #4

[Pam Downes]

https://maps.nls.uk/view/101596295

Top left hand corner is Meir Heath and immediately to the South is "Leadendale". Looks a reasonable bet?

You are definitely off my Christmas list now.
All the chasing around I did for post #5 totally blown apart.
However, on my view of the your map link Meir Heath is more in the middle, underneath the NE of Stone.

I am now off for a very long lie down, in a very dark room, for a very long time.

Seriously though -

[helachau]

No need for the genuflection in #7. Just reread my notes, transcribed from the "Hatch, Match and Despatch" column and posted as "Leaden Vale". My notes clearly read "Leaden Dale" as appears in the original article.

Where's the little character I can use to indicate "Should have gone to S********s"

[helachau]

Nathaniel was employed at Harvey's Private Bank, Longton, as manager, not far from Leaden Dale. However, the owner tended to keep much to himself in spite of Nathaniel pointing out to him the mess that existed with the books when he started there in Dec 1865. In early July 1866 the owner, W K Harvey disappeared to America with some of the bank's funds in gold, leaving Nathaniel to clean up. The bank folded. It explains why his occupation in 1861 as bank clerk and bank manager on Maud's baptism became farmer on the 1871 Census.