Deciphering help Please

jintyb · Post by **jintyb** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:10 pm

Hi All
I've uploaded BC for Marion Watson 1855.
Can anyone make out the birthplace of her father,James Watson.
Thanks in advance

Janet

See http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1140 davidww

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:29 pm

I'm fairly sure that it's "Strabunggo", possibly then "Parish of Govan" but the downcomers from the "gg" are interfering badly.

As it happens "Strathbungo" lay just inside Govan parish !

David

PS Another possibility for the parish could be "Provan" ........

Post by **emanday** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:36 pm

I've magnified it as much as I can and I'm seeing the same thing, David.

Maybe they probably pronounced it Strabungo, so that's what the registrar wrote.

Post by **paddyscar** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:50 pm

Hi Jinty:

I saw it as Parish of Govan and was away looking for 'Strabunggo', but found 'Strathbungo' only.

David - Are place name errors common? I'd have thought the Registry Office staff would get them right. They would be familiar with the area and would require no guessing, assuming or mishearing as happens with surnames.

Frances

jintyb · Post by **jintyb** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:50 pm

David and Mary

Thank you very much for your help.I'll now go and see if there is anything in OPRs.
Thanks again
Janet

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:23 pm

paddyscar wrote:Hi Jinty:

I saw it as Parish of Govan and was away looking for 'Strabunggo', but found 'Strathbungo' only.

David - Are place name errors common? I'd have thought the Registry Office staff would get them right. They would be familiar with the area and would require no guessing, assuming or mishearing as happens with surnames.

Frances

Frances

If it's clearly written as "Strabunggo" then GROS staff have to accept that, - otherwise they're into the sometimes very dubious area of interpreting as opposed to transcribing!

In this case, given that I'm uncertain as to the parish being Govan or something else, who am I to say that there's not a "Strabunggo" or something close in another parish

So, yes, such "errors" are common, but "errors" here parenthesized, as who are we to say what the commonly used pronunciation back then was for what is known today as Strathbungo

, and who are we to correct what was written in the registers, or, for that matter, the census schedules, then "engrossed" to the enumaration books, was wrong...... not an easy area !

David