Bernard MICHEN, Born 1836 assumed Edinburgh

[hanes teulu]

A post above identifies a Catholic Baptism with parents Bernard and Margaret.

There's a Bernard Michen on the 1871 Census, age 35 (calc. YoB 1836), in Clyde, Lanarkshire - mother Margaret.

The prison records for Bernard Michen on FindMyPast put his age at 14 (calc. YoB 1836). The columns headed "Place of Birth" and "Name of Parents" on one of these records are marked "Not Known".

[Forfarian]

When I first read that, I immediately assumed Newport-on-Tay. But of course it is more likely to be Newport, Isle of Wight if he was indentured in Cowes.

There are a dozen or so other Newports
http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?form=simple&q=newport&go=Find

[Forfarian]

There's a Bernard Michen on the 1871 Census, age 35 (calc. YoB 1836), in Clyde, Lanarkshire - mother Margaret.

That should read miscalc YoB 1836.

The 1871 census was taken on 2 April. Respondents were asked their age on the date of the census. If he said he was 35, and assuming that this was accurate, he would have been born between 3 April 1835 and 2 April 1836. That is, he is three times more likely to have been born in 1835 than in 1836.

Someone born on 5 May 1834 would have passed his 36th birthday, but not his 37th, on census day 1871. So there is a discrepancy of only one year, which is well within the range of errors commonly encountered in the census.

[BAC3]

Thank you all for your inputs.   

I am extremely grateful, particularly as a cohesive and "justifiable" profile, post-release from Parkhurst Prison, is beginning to emerge from the information posted.   Creating a biographical narrative is now very feasible.

For now,

BAC3