
1841 Lancashire | Whitter | Witter | Wither |
Liverpool* | 4 | 22 | – |
Ormskirk | – | 11 | 14 |
Walton-on-the-Hill | 1 | 15 | – |
Halsall | – | 16 | – |
Standish | 15 | – | – |
Bolton | – | 14 | – |
Preston | 5 | 4 | – |
Manchester | – | 6 | – |
Kirkham | – | 2 | – |
Warrington | – | 1 | – |
* including Toxteth
In 1841 there were 10 people in Cartmel named Wither. However, these people have nothing to do with the surname Whitter.
They are members of the Withers family. The name Withers is probably an independent surname, which was common in northern Lancashire, especially in the area around Gressingham, Melling and Bentham (Although at the moment I’m not completly sure about that).
The Withers from Ormskirk, however, are clearly relatives of the Whitters from Halsall and Standish. In this particually case it was just a misspelling in the Census. Its important to remember, that in these times, a uniform spelling was not as important as it is today.