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Transcription help

Discussion in 'General Genealogical Queries' started by placeofoaks, Mar 29, 2024.

  1. placeofoaks

    placeofoaks New Member

    Please can anyone help with this "relation to head of household" from the 1851 census for William Kirkbride aged 4. He was illegitimate and is here living with the Tweddle(Tweedle) family in Farlam, Cumberland.
    FMP have not attempted to transcribe this field while Ancestry have "Nurse Child". I think the "Child" is correct but I'm not convinced about "Nurse". 2024-03-29 13_02_40-1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census Image _ findmypast.co.uk - Brave.jpg
     
    placeofoaks, Mar 29, 2024
    #1
  2. Tim

    Tim Megastar and Moderator Staff Member

    Tim, Mar 29, 2024
    #2
    • Thanks! Thanks! x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  3. placeofoaks

    placeofoaks New Member

    Thank you - I'd convinced myself that it was double "s" at the end.
     
    placeofoaks, Mar 29, 2024
    #3
  4. canadianbeth

    canadianbeth LostCousins Star

    I would also say Nurse Child. The same words are next to my Dad's name in the 1911 census. He was also illegitimate and was being cared for by the other couple on the page. He was 2 years old at the time.
     
    canadianbeth, Mar 29, 2024
    #4
    • Thanks! Thanks! x 1
  5. Stuart

    Stuart LostCousins Member

    My home dictionary gives, for nurse-child, the meanings "a child in the care of a nurse; a foster-child".
     
    Stuart, Mar 30, 2024
    #5
    • Thanks! Thanks! x 1
  6. peter

    peter Administrator Staff Member

    The first part of the definition is misleading since these days we generally think of nurses only in medical contexts. Foster-child is more accurate since mothers paid to have their children nursed by another woman.

    I think the term 'nursing' originally referred to 'suckling', hence the nurse in Romeo and Juliet:

    "The Nurse brought Juliet up from childhood, breast-feeding her and caring for her like a mother. In the play, Shakespeare presents the Nurse as Juliet's surrogate mother - a maternal figure, who truly loves Juliet, wants her to be happy and will do anything for that happiness. "

    The presence of a very young nurse-child in a household can indicate that the wife has recently lost a child of her own, so is able to breast-feed the child of another..
     
    peter, Mar 30, 2024
    #6
    • Thanks! Thanks! x 1

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