According to official records, there were more individuals with the surname ASPIN living in Halifax in 1881 than we ought to expect. The census conducted on 3rd April of that year records 21 individuals of that name, comprising 5 households, living within the borough. This is almost double the number that were known to be there through the research undertaken and recorded for this Aspin-Tomlinson website.

The website identifies a number of individuals with the surname ASPIN who are known to be in Halifax at this time. These represent two related households - the family of Christopher George ASPIN who arrived in Halifax from Leeds in 1862; and the household of his brother Thomas ASPIN who came to Halifax about the same time. Sadly, four members of these early arrivals, including Christopher himself, had died by the time of the 1881 census, leaving these remaining 12 individuals:

Nevertheless, additional ASPIN's appear in the census who are not previously known to us. Some of these, like Christopher's family group are recorded as evolving from Leeds, whilst one individual appears to originate from Blackburn, long known to be a hotbed for the ASPIN name, and probably the place of its first origin. It seems incredible that the name should arrive in Halifax independently for a second time, and raises a number of questions such as: 

• Can these additional Aspin's be identified?
• Are they related to the family groups already known, and therefore members of our own family history?
• Were Christopher and his family truly the first ASPIN arrivals in Halifax as earlier evidence suggests, or were they beaten here by some of these other individuals?

Additional research will be undertaken to try and throw some light on these issues. Watch this space!