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Hi,

I'm not certain how you can be totally sure and perhaps you will need to spend some money to try and find out. There is only one Henry Bayley marriage in Stockport (in 1845) but 3 for Henry Bailey between 1852 and 1868.

I suppose, if the 1845 marriage is the right one, and it shows no father and his mother as Mary, it could suggest Henry and James were brothers but as always nothing is absolutely certain.

I was also wondering if the census entry for Mary (with Henry and James) could suggest she was their sister - all perhaps living with their grandmother Sarah? This spreads the net wider and unfortunately looking at that Mary, there are potentially several marriages in Stockport using both Bayley or Bailey as the surname.

Alan

PS 

I have seen many different spellings of surnames (I have family members whose surname has been shown as Jenks/Jinks/Jenkins on censuses - it depends on what the enumerator hears. Bayley or ------------------
Thanks for the time you've spent on this Alan, I appreciate it but it doesn't look like I'm going to get any further. Shame cos it is the only grandparent i could spendt time with as a child and I'd have liked to have followed his line.

Hi,

Interestingly if you look for a birth/baptism for a Henry Bayley in Stockport there is one for 9 Nov 1823 showing the mothers name as Mary (No father) - co-incidence or what? There is a marriage in June Qtr 1845 Stockport that may be him

Alan
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You're right Alan, they could be James's brother but the name is spelled Bailey not Bayley every other time his surname is mentioned so how can I be sure ?

Hi,
I can also see a James Bayley age 20 in the 1841 census with Sarah Bayley age 55 and Henry and Mary (both also shown as 20) in Stockport area - Stockport First District - District 17 - this James working in the Cotton Trade.
The Mary I mentioned earlier was also in the Stockport area - Stockport Second District - District 6 - also employed in the Cotton Trade.

I thought perhaps James may have been staying with other family members when the census was taken? Food for thought?  Alan
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It is Alan. Of course, the census only showed where people were on that night only- a snapshot in time.  And James worked in the cotton trade all his life (as did so many others in the area, and later in Lees & Oldham) Thanks again