The following news release was received from Amy Sell and was written by FindMyPast.co.uk staff.
- Findmypast.co.uk discovers ‘real-life’ wizard in the 1911
census
- John Watkins Holden – conjuror of the 19th and 20th centuries
On the day of the world premiere of the last instalment of the Harry Potter film series, leading family history website www.findmypast.co.uk has discovered that wizardry may not just be the stuff of fiction after discovering a ‘real-life’ wizard in the 1911 census of England and Wales.
John Watkins Holden had been born in Worcester but was lodging at a house in Bournemouth at the time of the 1911 census. Holden, aged 68, recorded his occupation as ‘Wizard of Ye Wicked World’, stating that he was working in the magic industry and that at this point in 1911, he was ‘on tour’. Amusingly, Holden also revealed that he was ‘very much married’ when asked about his marital status.
Wizard Holden has also been found in a number of earlier censuses, showing that he had at least 40 years’ experience in the world of sorcery. He appears in the 1901 census as a ‘Society Entertainer’, but in the 1891 census he was recorded as a ‘Conjuror’. Going back another decade to 1881, John was recorded in the census as ‘The Queen’s Magician & Wizard of the Wicked World’.
