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Thanks, Chris, much appreciated.

I've tried to locate a record of Isaac's birth but so far to no avail. In various sources Isaac's place of birth is listed as Wivelsfield between 1806 and 1808 but I've found no trace of him in parish records.

It has been suggested to me that he may have been baptised in another parish. I did find a reference to an Isaac Foster born in Rotherfield, but later census returns from that town prove that this is not my Isaac.

Tim

Chris,
Thanks for the reply. You're spot on with the 1881 census. I also have the following:-

1841 Census - Stumblewood, Maresfield, Sussex, England
Henry HARDING Head Mar 30-34 Sussex
Charlotte HARDING Mar 28 Sussex
Ellen HARDING Unm 2 Sussex
Elizabeth HARDING Unm 6 Sussex

1851 Census - West Hoathly, Sussex, England
Henry HARDING Head Mar 41 West Hoathly, Sussex Labourer
Charlotte HARDING Wife Mar 38 West Hoathly, Sussex
Ellen HARDING Dau Unm 12 West Hoathly, Sussex
Emmar HARDING Dau Unm 7 West Hoathly, Sussex
Elizabeth HARDING Dau Unm 4 West Hoathly, Sussex
Esther HARDING Dau Unm 6m West Hoathly,Sussex

1861 Census - Hill Place, East Grinstead, Sussex, England
Henry HARDING Head Mar 50 West Hoathly, Sussex Ag Lab
Charlotte HARDING Wife Mar 47 Hertfordshire
Emma HARDING Dau Unm 18 Maresfield, Sussex
Esther HARDING Dau Unm 10 West Hoathly,Sussex
Charles H HARDING Son Unm 6 West Hoathly, Sussex

1871 Census - London Road, East Grinstead, Sussex, England
Henry HARDING Head Mar 60 West Hoathly, Sussex Labourer
Charlotte HARDING Wife Mar 57 Chichester, Sussex
Charles HARDING Son Unm 16 West Hoathly, Sussex Wheelwright
Joseph OLIVER boarder Unm 22 Warbleton, Sussex Blacksmith

Henry died in Feb 1888 and is buried at Queens Road Cemetery in East Grinstead. I have a Harding family bible dated 1866 with inscriptions by Henry. It lists his d.o.b. as Aug 27th 1810 and Charlotte as Aug 28th 1813. The date of marriage is very confusing, its listed as June 10th 1833 and then June 11th 1833 in two different places. It seems very likely that Henry got the date wrong, his handwriting is quite poor and his grasp of English not too good. The names in your entry are the same, the place is the same, the date is the same it is just that the year is one out. I think its safe to say that this is the same marriage.
The 1817 baptism might be right, he may have been 6 years old at the time of the baptism. I will have to try and get a look at the original to see if it has an age included.

So in summary I think you have helped me a lot. I now know the maiden name of my GGG Grandmother and I have a lead to follow on the next generation back on my GGG Grandfathers side.

If you have access to marriage records you may also be able to help me with a real longstanding brickwall on another of my  GGG Grandfathers. His name is Isaac Foster, born between 1806 and 1808 in Wivelsfield and lived in Clayton, Hurstpierpoint and finally Keymer before his death around 1865. I believe he married a Caroline Osbourne around 1831, possibly in St Nicholas, Brighton. I am trying to identify his father, I have suspicions it might be a Francis Foster born around 1782 in Ditchling, but so far have no proof.

Many thanks,

Tim