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  • Hawker of Jays?

    From Jenny M Benson@21:1/5 to All on Fri Sep 3 17:13:37 2021
    In the 1861 Census (RG9-84-45-20)) Elizabeth Harris (who may have been
    married to a relative of mine) appears to have been a "Hawker of Jays".

    It seems unlikely this was related to birds, so what was a Jay?
    --
    Jenny M Benson
    Wrexham, UK

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  • From knuttle@21:1/5 to Jenny M Benson on Fri Sep 3 13:06:33 2021
    On 9/3/2021 12:13 PM, Jenny M Benson wrote:
    In the 1861 Census (RG9-84-45-20)) Elizabeth Harris (who may have been married to a relative of mine) appears to have been a "Hawker of Jays".

    It seems unlikely this was related to birds, so what was a Jay?
    I don't know if the meaning carried across the ocean, but a hawker of
    Jays (Jay Hawker) was a native of Kansas USA. More particularly in the
    late 1850's and 1860's, a band of Union (Northern) guerrillas from
    Kansas that worked to maintain Kansas as a Free State.

    I don't know why this term with the US definition would appear in an
    English census. Could it have something to do with Falconry, or hawker (seller) of Jays?

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  • From john@21:1/5 to Jenny M Benson on Fri Sep 3 20:16:15 2021
    On 03/09/2021 18:13, Jenny M Benson wrote:
    In the 1861 Census (RG9-84-45-20)) Elizabeth Harris (who may have been married to a relative of mine) appears to have been a "Hawker of Jays".

    It seems unlikely this was related to birds, so what was a Jay?

    Toys?

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  • From john@21:1/5 to john on Fri Sep 3 22:26:04 2021
    On 03/09/2021 20:16, john wrote:
    On 03/09/2021 18:13, Jenny M Benson wrote:
    In the 1861 Census (RG9-84-45-20)) Elizabeth Harris (who may have been
    married to a relative of mine) appears to have been a "Hawker of Jays".

    It seems unlikely this was related to birds, so what was a Jay?

    Toys?

    See how "To" in Tobacco Pipe Maker is written in the first occupation on
    the page and how the J in John is written in John Royston household 116

    Plenty of references to street sellers of toys of various sorts in
    LONDON LABOUR AND THE LONDON POOR by Henry Mayhew

    e.g. The dolls are most usually carried in baskets by street-sellers
    (who are not makers) and generally by women who are very poor.

    https://www.gutenberg.org/files/55998/55998-h/55998-h.htm

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  • From Jenny M Benson@21:1/5 to john on Sat Sep 4 00:33:26 2021
    On 03/09/2021 21:26, john wrote:

    See how "To" in Tobacco Pipe Maker is written in the first occupation on
    the page and how the J in John is written in John Royston household 116

    Thank you! That makes perfect sense. I did look to compare the letters
    with those elsewhere - don't know why I didn't "get" toys.

    --
    Jenny M Benson
    Wrexham, UK

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