I wanted to find out more about William Pudwine or Podevin but a further search on the FamilySearch site gave me only one possibility, for a William Potvine christened on 16 May 1793 in Saint Mary Magdalene, Canterbury, Kent.Disappointed I headed back to the Surrey History Centre to search the Census.By 1851 both William Pudwine and his wife Harriet were dead and I wondered what had happened to the younger children. I searched all the villages surrounding Guildford and eventually found them in the 1851 Census in Hambledon Union Workhouse.Henry Podevine (again the strange spelling of the surname, as if it wasn’t strange enough already) was sixteen years of age, an agricultural labourer born in Albury.

Also with him was Edward aged fifteen, Mary aged twenty, Ann aged eleven and excitingly, Lewis aged six, the latter two born in Bramley. This was the second mention of Lewis after finding his marriage certificate with a London address. I was so pleased I had followed my instincts on this one.With the above success I decided to search the Worplesdon area as there were several Pudwine/Pudvine children born there.My next find was equally thrilling although not what I was looking for. I at last found John and Charlotte Voller.

John was a farm labourer aged 53 and Charlotte 46 years of age both born in Worplesdon. With them was Charles aged sixteen years and Emily aged twelve years, both born in Worplesdon. Emily was obviously Henry’s wife. There was also Albert aged seven years and Henry aged five years, both born in Stoke near Guildford where this Census was taken. Also living in the same house was James Marsh aged 76 years, father-in-law. Remarkably I had stumbled across another generation. This meant that Charlotte Voller was formerly Charlotte Marsh.

Also Charles Voller was a witness at my three times great grandfather Frederick’s marriage to Harriet which has now convinced me that Harriet and Emily Voller were sisters who married Pudwine or Pudvine brothers.I also fell across two families called Bonsey, a name that was familiar to me, and took copies of these pages only to find when I got home and checked through my records that I had found Richard Bonsey who would marry William and Harriet’s daughter Susanna later that year. The family consisted of Richard Bonsey, head, aged 50, occupation shoemaker, Mary Bonsey his wife, aged 56, and Richard Bonsey, their son aged 22, occupation railway labourer. Also living in the house were Benjamin aged 19 and John aged 16.

The other family also had two family members listed by the name of Benjamin so I decided to hold onto this information for a later date.Going back to William Pudwine I was now beginning to think that the spelling of the name Pudwine or Pudvine was taken from the pronunciation rather than knowledge of how it was spelt, as there were several derivatives of the family name. Also, whenever I searched for Pudwine on FamilySearch, a whole variety of names appeared from Potvin and Potvain to Pudwine, Poitevin and Podevin, the latter proving to be of the most interest with the other evidence I had collected.

There was nothing about William’s birth or christening. I was beginning to get frustrated again because if I could not find details of his birth then I would not be able to trace this line any further!Back at home on the 1881 Census, as I had not found Henry Pudwine I decided to look for his second wife Alice Bristow. I found her living in Castle Street, Guildford, a widow aged 42 born in Adlow, Kent, and with her were two daughters Ellen aged six years and Mary aged three years both born in Guildford. A quick check of the marriage certificate of Alice and Henry told me they married later that same year so I searched the neighbourhood.

To my utter delight I found Henry Pudwine recorded as Henry Indwine. I knew it was my Henry because he was a widower who was born in Wonersh, the same district as Albury, and also because, amusingly, he was living in the Rising Sun public house – quite fitting as he appeared to like a drink.On the same Census by trawling through the National Index of Surnames I also found Lewis Pudwine/vine in London. He was listed under the name Lewis Rudine, aged 33, born in Bramley, Surrey. With him was his wife Grace Rudine aged 32 and her sister Christina Fergusson.

Finding Grace’s sister with the same surname as her own maiden name confirmed my find was correct. I looked up the address where Lewis was living at the time of his marriage two years previously at 19 Belgrave Square. Living at that address in 1881 was William Ernest Duncombe, Peer of Parliament and Mabel Molet (Countess) Forenshaw along with four children, one of whom was a Lieutenant in the Scots Guards. How very real this made Lewis to me.A further search revealed Ann Rose, nee Pudwine, who had married Henry Rose. They were living in Pirbright, another village local to us where we have socialised, and also right next to Brookwood Cemetery where Martino Marelli and son Martin are buried. They are listed as Henry Rose aged 42, an agricultural labourer, his wife Annie Rose (Ann) aged 41 and their children William aged 13, Lizzie aged 11, Lillian (sic) aged five and Harrey (sic) aged two.

Another search on FamilySearch playing with the spelling of the surname Pudwine brought me the christening record of Ann Podavine, daughter of William and Harriet Podavine. With another proof of birth recording William as the father, I now thought I should concentrate on looking for William Pudwine rather than Thomas Pudwine. If I had no luck searching for him I would then concentrate on the Christian name of Thomas or both. But how do I find William?To keep you in the picture but to make things simple I have split the family trees into groups (see figures 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3).I decided to return to the Surrey History Centre to find parish records on film for some of the Pudwine children of William (Thomas) and Harriet Pudwine.

I was so pleased I had the above parish records and also the Census records because, although they are only copies, to me they are the real thing and a real piece of my family history. I cannot explain the pleasure in seeing the writing of the person responsible for recording this information in parish records or looking at the details of who else is recorded on the same page, wondering if my ancestors and these other families knew each other.Another search of the Census looking at the villages surrounding Guildford brought me the following: