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« on: Sunday 26 March 17 17:38 BST (UK) »
Yes, he died at Pett on 5 February 1880. There's an obituary in the Hastings and St Leonards Observer on 14 February, available on the British Newspaper Archive.
So 1810 does indeed seem likely for his birth -- it was Dallington that seemed unlikely to me (though not impossible, of course), as I have no other link with that place in my tree. After Thomas married Mary Barns in Northiam, they lived in Guestling until the 1850s, when they moved to Pett. On each census, Thomas says he was born in Hastings or Hastings All Saints.
John and Mary Noakes look like a possible lead -- will look into that. Francis becoming Thomas is also an interesting theory. If that is indeed what happened, it may be very difficult to prove, of course. Thanks for your thoughts!
Ben