Who was Sarah Houghton in Cambridge?

[TaraK]

I am looking for records relating to my g-g-g-grandmother, Sarah Houghton, prior to 1861, as I can find no record of her on any of the previous censuses or any birth record. This is the information I have from the 1861, 1871 and 1881 England censuses.

Birth - About 1821 - 1823, St Andrew the Less, Cambridge
Lived in St Andrew the Less, Cambridge, from 1861 onwards
Had 7 children by (I think) Robert Berry of Framlingham, Suffolk (b. I think 21 Feb 1818) - although they are not listed as married in the 1851 or 1861 censuses and they are on the 1871 census (but I can find no marriage record so I am not sure if they ever actually were married!)

Children (all born in St Andrew the Less) are:

George Houghton - b. abt 1853 (although only appears on 1871 census)
Sophia Berry Houghton - b. Apr - Jun 1854
Robert Houghton - b. Apr - Jun 1856
William Houghton - b. abt 1858
Charles Houghton - b. 20 Dec 1859***
Maria Houghton - b. Oct - Dec 1863
George Houghton - b. Oct - Dec 1869 (strange they had two children named George when the first was still alive in 1869)

***Charles Houghton is my g-g-grandfather and I have his birth certificate, which lists his mother as Sarah Houghton (no other maiden name) but no father, and his marriage certificate (which lists his father as Robert Houghton, Cooper - ie. Robert Berry, who seems to have changed his name to Sarah's rather than the other way round!)

This really is a mystery to me and I've searched for Sarah every which way I can think of to try and find out who she was, but to no avail. So any help would be hugely appreciated. As well as any suggestions as to the other mysteries - why this couple were living the way they were ie. unmarried with 7 children, why they appear to have two children called George (one of whom doesn't show up until 1871) and why they then appear to be married and Robert takes Sarah's name (I don't think they actually were but may have said so for some reason in 1871).

In addition, I can't find Sarah or Robert on the 1891 census, so any help there would be great too! I believe Sarah died in 1898 in Cambridge and Robert in 1893 in Cambridge.

Yours hopefully!

Tara

[Paco]

Hi,
Sarah and Robert are both on the 1891 census in findmypast.com. I found Robert Berry on the 1851 census living in Cambridge he was a servant, although it says Cooper for his occupation. There is also a Robert Cooper baptised 13/2/1820 in Suffolk-parents Robert and Maria.
Regards.

[TaraK]

Hi Paco

Thanks for your information. Could you give me a census reference for the 1891 entry?

I have found Robert in the 1851 census as you have and traced his family - it is Sarah that I cannot find any record of pre-1861.

Thanks

Tara

[Paco]

Living at 20, Gloucester Place, Cambs. RG12 1283 91 22.

[lizdb]

Possible
1851

HO107 1760 245 4
5 Brunswick? Place ST Andrew the Less Cambridge
William Carter 70 college servant bn Cambridge
Sophia Carter 60 bn Braintree
Sarah Houghton 21 House servant bn Cambridge

[TaraK]

Thanks, Paco.

Lizdb - I found this entry but ruled it out as she would be nearer 31 than 21. Do you think they could have got her age wrong by that much?

[lizdb]

Always possible - she was a servant to two oldish people, they could well have not known how old she was and said anything that came to mind!
Or when the enumarator wrote up the schedule he could have misread his writing.
All sorts of possibilities, we will never know, hence without any further info that entry will only be a 'possible' for her.

[lizdb]

the only census I looked at she just gave Cambridge as p-o-b , but do you say she specifies St andrew the Less as her birthplace?

If so, there is this Houghton family in that parish in 1841, though looking at the Y's and N's they werent there at the time our Sarah was born, so maybe she is not an elder dtr of theirs after all

HO107 85 19
29 Broad St St And the less
Reuben Houghton 44 joiner N
Margaret 38 N
Emma 13 N
George 5 Y

[TaraK]

I've looked at the parish records for this family and they appear to register their children's births and there is no birth registered for Sarah. I guess if they were out of the county, there's a chance they registered Sarah where she was actually born and that Sarah thought she was born in St Andrew the Less, as that's where she then grew up. Thing is there's so many irregularities with Sarah, I wonder whether her name and/ or birthdate is actually correct!