Hi - what does the burial entry for the John Potts Halbert who was buried in 1795 say? Do you have the full entry?
It is very easy to get all those John Potts & George Potts mixed up.
I also meant to check whether you have sighted the actual baptism entry for Thomas Halbert in 1814 - did your researcher send it through, i.e. an image of the entry? While
www.familysearch.org has a birth date of 1806 for this baptism,
www.freereg.org.uk & Durhamrecordsonline do not - they just have the baptism date. It it is possible both the latter have relied on the Bishop's Transcript which did not include the birthdate. Hopefully the researcher went to the original parish register.
Have been looking at this group of baptisms - no firm conclusions yet, not even sure if it is the same William, but it does present another possibility for the Thomas Halbert baptism:
William (Junior) Halbert & Margaret - & Sarah?William born 5 Dec 1792 bap 6 Jan 1793 s/o William & Sarah Halbert, father a Taylor
Baptisms, St John the Baptist, Newcastle upon Tyne
Alice born 1 April 1794 & baptised 23 April 1794 daughter of William Halbert junr & Margaret Halbert, Tailor, St John
Brunswick Chapel, Wesleyan Newcastle upon Tyne
George Potts Halbert baptised 9 March 1802 son of William Jun’r Halbert & Sarah Halbert
Baptisms, Castle Garth Chapel, Newcastle upon Tyne
I think the George Potts Halbert born 1802 may be the future Master Mariner:
16 Sep 1827 George Halbert married Ann Innes All Saints, Newcastle upon Tyne
Mr Geo Halbert to Ann, eldest daughter of Mr George Innis, of London
Newcastle Magazine vol 6 no X Oct 1827
no 1455 George Halbert, 36, Newcastle, Master, Hepburn Hall of Whitby
Merchant Seaman - 1835 BT120
George Potts bap 29 Aug 1828 s/o George Potts & Ann Halbert, Pilgrim St, Master Mariner
Baptisms, All Saints, Newcastle upon Tyne
Ann bap 25 May 1831 d/o George Potts & Ann Halbert, Tyne St, father a Mariner
Baptisms, All Saints - Family Search
William Kennedy bap 2 Jan 1833 s/o George Potts & Ann Halbert, Clarence St, father a Mariner
Baptisms, All Saints
Thomas bap 10 Oct 1834 s/o George Potts & Ann Halbert, No. Shore, father a Master Mariner
Baptisms, All Saints
Frederick bap 17 June 1836 s/o George Potts & Ann Halbert, No. Shore, father a Master Mariner
Baptisms, All Saints
Henry Horatio bap 4 July 1837
Baptisms, All Saints - Family Search
Deaths Sep 1839 HALBERT Henry Horatio Newcastle on Tyne
Elizabeth Innes bap 18 June 1839
Baptisms, All Saints - Family Search
Sarah Emma bap 5 Oct 1841 d/o George Potts & Ann Halbert, No. Shore, father a Master Mariner
Baptisms, All Saints
1851 Census HO107/1546
St Mary Whitechapel, St Mark, Tower Hamlets
6 Tender St
George Halbert Hd Mar 48 Master Mariner Newcastle upon Tyne
Ann 44 wife Newcastle upon Tyne
Anne 20 dau Unmarried Newcastle upon Tyne
William 18 son Unmarried Ship Broker’s Junior Clerk Newcastle upon Tyne
Frederick son Unmarried 15 Solicitor’s Junior Clerk Newcastle upon Tyne
Elizabeth dau 11 Newcastle upon Tyne
Sarah E dau 9 Newcastle upon Tyne
Septimus 7 son Newcastle upon Tyne
Died at sea 2 Sep 1851 on board the bark Ellen of London, on her passage from Sierra Leone, aged 49, deeply regretted, Mr George Potts Halbert, who for 24 years sailed out of this port as captain
Newcastle Courant, 24 Oct 1851