Hi Fiona
Welcome to Rootschat. Sorry I didn't pick up your message earlier. OH too quick on the delete e-mails button.
Anyway. Are you related to Christopher Holburn?
In answer to your question, I am afraid I am not too sure. I followed up a couple of possibilities and I have placed them on my "speculative tree".
As you can gather, I concentrated my research in the Hurworth-on-Tees area. That is because on Christopher's Merchant Navy record it states born in Hurworth. He was in fact Baptised at St Helens Church in Bishop Auckland which is not too far from Hurworth in the scheme of things. It said his mother, Elizabeth, was from Morley. At first I thought it was Yorkshire Morley, but found out that there is a village called Morley just a few miles from St Helens. However, having looked at Parish records there were no Holburns (or other variations) to be found in any Parish in the area except Hurworth where there were quite a few so it was very positive.
I began looking for an Elizabeth Holburn assuming she was a young girl with an illegitimate child, but no joy. I did, however, find two Elizabeth's who were "getting on a bit"
. The first was an Elizabeth Holbourn baptised on 25.10.1789 in Hurworth which would make her 31 when she had him. (the daughter of James and Eleanor - he was a Weaver, which I felt was relevant as Christopher's wife's father was a Woolcomer from Darlington so in the same industry). The second Elizabeth was an Elizabeth Holbron baptised 5.10.1790 (the daughter of a Thomas and Elizabeth - profession not mentioned), which would make her 30 when she had him.
Following on, I found an Elizabeth Holbourn marrying a John Bell on 26.1.1822 in Hurworth. Two years after Christopher was born. (don't know which Elizabeth). Now, John Bell was 49 when he married her and she was 34 and they were named as Spinster and Bachelor, so looked like a marriage on convenience to me (or maybe that's just me). They had a daughter Susanna and when she was pregnant with their son, John, her husband died aged 55 in 1828.
Then, in the Hurworth records there is a entry for an Elizabeth Bell marrying a William Rate (Rait) in 1830. They had a daughter called Elizabeth and a son William, but on the Census in 1851 she was named as a Widow working as a Charwoman with her daughter Elizabeth (factory worker) in Clay Row, Darlington. She died in 1859 Brunswick Street Darlington and her age corresponded with either of the Elizabeth's I began with.
Very convoluted I know, and purely speculative.
Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance. Let me know how you are related.
Mo