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Ok. The Rame peninsula was part of Devon in the early 1800s. Things didn’t change until the River Tamar was made the boundary between the two counties.

Look at the  1814 marriage in Stoke Damerel.
Richard Stephens cooper marries Catherine McIntire.

Now switch to Maker baptisms.

1816 Susannah Richards baptised to Richard Richards cooper and Susannah
1818 John Stephens baptised to Richard Stephens and Catherine

I think this is your Susannah Richard and Catherine with the wrong surname. Maker was a very busy parish at that time and it’s taking me ages to transcribe the records to put in the OPC database. I have only got to 1800.

Many people from the Rame peninsula married at Stoke Damerel so the marriage is very feasible.

It looks as though Catherine’s father was Royal Navy living on the Rame peninsula. That might have influenced Richards choice to join the coastguard.

That's interesting. I will have a look and see what I can find. I have finally gone through all his ADM 175 records and all the children I have seem to match. Emma is a little iffy though I still think she is likely. Census has her as born in Plymouth and baptism shows her baptised in Talland and resident in Polperro in November 1821. Richard joined the Coastguard in July 1821 in Polperro and it does show he was in Plymouth prior to that but not sure how long and where.

So far they match, but I got so far and then need to download them and I'm having issues. Just waiting on the National Archives to get back to me.

The 1821 marriage?
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFZC-SLM

indexed as    Richard Stephens to    Catherine Kepsoll

Name   Richard Stephens  to Catherine Mc Intire
Event Date   23 Oct 1814  @ Stoke Damerel, Devon,England

I think this is it. I found it on the Pallot's marriage index, but unfortunately i didn't download it and now I've run out of Ancestry subscription so need to go to the library to get a copy. But there are a few member trees that includes Kessell as her name. I'm just trying to find another record.

Hi
I was going through some records I have for the STEPHENS part of my family and realised that there are records that don't look quite right and I was hoping for some help. Sorry if this seems a bit longwinded. I have been going over things to make sure I haven't gone wrong later on.

My great x 2 grandfather is William John PHILLIPS b. 13 Dec 1940 in Whitstable. His birth certificate shows his mother as being Susannah PHILIPS formerly STEPHENS. Father is Thomas PHILLIPS Coastguard.

The marriage certificate for Thomas and Susannah shows her name as Susanna STEPHENS and a spinster and her father is Richard STEPHENS in the Coastguard Service. Both Thomas and Susannah are resident in Swalecliffe Kent 17 May 1839.

The 1841 census has been destroyed, but the 1851-1881 gives her year of birth as approximately 1817 to 1881. They all say Devon and either Kingstone, Kingsland or Maker. All the parish records I can find seem to based in Cornwall.

I don't have any censuses with Susannah with her parents, but I have census for 1851 which shows Richard and his wife Catherine. There is also a visitor William John PHILLIPS, so pretty happy that this is her parents.

I then tried looking for both her parents marriage and her baptism and this is where things get confusing.

The marriage looks like it should be 1821 in St Clement. I have found a few family trees that have that and shows the mother is Catherine KESSELL. However, the marriage is after Susannah's birth. I have found baptism records for the siblings showing Richard and Catherine STEPHENS and I believe the locations match his locations for the coastguards (using ADM 175), however, I couldn't find Susannah.

I did find a Susannah STEPHENS which matched one of the census, but the parents are Edward and Mary STEPHENS. I did wonder if they died and Richard adopted, but I think I have found them in a census too.

I also found a Susannah PHILLIPS which also matched one of the census year of 1817, but parents are Nicolas and Mary PHILLIPS.

I have tried to see if there was a previous marriage for Richard Stephens and also looking for Susannah KESSELL but no luck.

Any help would be greatful!

Hi
My Uncle had the attached certificate of conduct and discharge in his possession and I've attached a photo of it. William John Phillips born in Whitstable is my Greatx2 Grandfather and I am a little confused about this document. I know that in 1901 he is listed as a coal trimmer so I am confused about the ship master. Is he also the master? I can't believe he would sign his own document, is it just a coincidence? I know that his name isn't unique. I know his occupation in 1901 is a coal trimmer so I never thought he would have been Master.
Many thanks