Jennifer
Sorry there was no obvious match for your Thomas.
Re: your question about Hambledon; I presume you refer to a modern postal address. All I can tell you is that at the time of the 1901 Census, the Rural District in which Chiddingfold fell, was Hambledon. I could not find the farm in census records, but maps showed that
it was and still is somewhere near the places you mentioned and the place where the Coopers that Kris
found in 1891 Census were living. I have an idea that the farm may have been in a neighbouring District as far as the Census was concerned. I searched only the one district and not all of that.
I found the area in which the farm was located by using a combination of maps and Kelly's Directory.
I don't doubt that it is possible that your Coopers did buy or rent that farm at some time, but I think it was possibly after 1901.
A Google search turned up an Oakhurst Farm, now the address of a car dealer, same area . There is also an Oakhurst Cottage, now owned by the National Trust.
One last thought is that there could be more than one Oakhurst Farm. I think this is very unlikely in a small area on the Surrey, West Sussex border.
The birth and marriage cert route looks like the only way to go. I'll let you know, if any more ideas come to me.
btw: don't be too influenced by photos, people often look older or younger than their age. I always look about 10 years older!
Good Luck,
Carmela
