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Hello and thank you for getting in touch! Martin's elder brother, William was my great grandfather.  George Stewart married Bridget Moloney (various spellings) and Bridget had a brother, Martin, born in about 1812. He was murdered in 1836 so that is probably where the name came from-also a saint's name and Catholic children were given saint's names at this time.  Martin Moloney's murderer, James Prendergast, was transported and ended up in the Hawkesbury region of NSW! There was another Stewart sibling in addition to the ones you named-baptised as Catharine Steward in 1848. She died in 1882 with her mother present. As you say Martin was in the RIC (as Protestant to make life easier!), emigrated to Australia, joined the NZ Militia, served with the Taranaki Military Settlers and was awarded the NZ War Medal.  He joined the NZ Armed Constabulary and then the NZ Constabulary. Martin Stewart married Ann Marsden in 1872 in NZ.  This info comes from the birth certificate for their second child, Ellen (aka Nellie) born 1876.  Their first child, Mary was born in 1875 and their third, George Hain in 1877. As Ann died in 1877 maybe she died in childbirth. My father was born in Cork and joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in WW1. My mother said that his great grandfather had been in a Scottish Regiment. The only relevant George Stewart I can find on the scotlandspeople website was born in Aberdeen in 1804. I have various certificates, newspaper articles etc to support the above and my tree is on Ancestry. I can invite you to view it if you would like. Send me a PM and I will send my email address to you.  Regards

Just to add, don't assume that your Hosfords were all RC.  My gggrandfather James Hosford, was born Protestant but was baptisted as RC as an adult.  His daughter, Jane, was baptised as RC but married a Protestant in a CofI church, and all their children were baptised as Protestant.  One of my great aunts married a Catholic and their children were brought up as Catholic.  Good luck with your searches!

Thank you all.  I saw the tree on Ancestry and messaged the owner at the beginning of January, but no reply as yet.  Not sure where the name 'Nellie Mason' came from.  I had put the record of Martin Stewart's baptism to one side as he was baptised as a Catholic whereas the rest of the family I've identified were all Presbyterian/Church of Ireland.  But the summary record for Martin Stewart's RIC service lists him as Protestant. (My Findmypast subscription has just expired).   Perhaps George was Protestant and Bridget, Catholic.  The probate details are very useful for identifying the subsequent generations.  Miriam/Mary (Nellie Beaumont's sister) was also known as Marian according to the NZ Electoral rolls.  The two sisters were living together in 1935.  Miriam's husband appears to be living at a different address with their son and Nellie's husband was living in the Cook Islands before his death.  What a complicated family!
Thanks again and best wishes.

Thank you all so much for all this extra information!  I shall have to go away and digest it all.  It just goes to show that finding a record depends on what you type in as I had been on to Family Search for instance and been through all the permutations and come up with nothing.  It is interesting that the family continues the name 'Robert' as I found a baptism in the Limerick records for a George Stewart, son of Robert Stewart.  Perhaps this Robert was the brother of George and my ggrandfather, William.
Thank you again and very best wishes.

Thanks to info supplied to me in my post on Nellie Beaumont (nee Stewart, born 1877) I have more details about Nellie and her sister Miriam Stewart, born 1875.  From Nellie's death certificate it states that her mother was Ann Marsden.  Ann's death is in the newspapers but I cannot find a marriage for George and Ann, a birth for Ann nor a death for George.  Ann died in 1877, so potentially in childbirth, but I cannot find a second marriage for George either.  George's retirement from the Police is also noted in the newspaper in 1909. 
Has anyone any more tips please?  Thanks