I don't think I can help with the line of inquiry relating to Daveys from Brightlingsea/Colchester, but it occurs to me that some of you who know about these things and who are closer to the thick of things (than the Antipodes in my case) may be able to shed some light on another Davey who may have contributed to the original difficulty!
I am trying to trace the Devonian and/or Cornish origins of James DAVEY, who was in St Martin on Jersey at the 1841 census, age 20, born England.
Optimistically, we might assume that he married Nancy Marguerite LAINÉ somewhere in the Channel Is around 1842, before the first of their children was born. Inquiries on Guernsey suggest it was not there. Nancy, according to all the census returns 1841 - 1881 was born on Guernsey around 1823, though there is some inconsistency as to whether it was Vale or St Sampsons.
Their first child John E was born in St Peter, Jersey, 1844. The next two, Thomas L and James Frederick, were born in St Anne, Alderney in 1849 and 1851 respectively. They then moved to Guernsey: George Frédéric 1854, William Robert 1855, Joseph Henry 1857, Alfred Lainé 1860 and Lydia Hannah 1865. As for Nancy, there is some inconsistency from one census to another as to which parish some were born, but the later ones were fairly definitely St Peter Port. At least five of the siblings ended up in Australia.
Finally, at the 1881 census, the place of birth of James DAVEY is given as Lifton, Devon, rather than just "England". But all inquiries in and around Lifton (just spitting distance from the boundary with Cornwall) have so far got me nowhere. Both James and Nancy disappear after the 1881 census, most likely dying in/around St Peter Port. I am hoping that if I ever come across marriage and/or death registrations for James I may obtain just enough additional info to break the deadlock.
Can anyone point me in the right direction to find (a) the marriage between James & Nancy ~1842 (b) death or burial of James & Nancy somewhere in the 1880s? Or any other suggestions about how to proceed would be most welcome.