Goodness me, everyone!
Was just doing something else for a couple of hours, and the debate has been flourishing on here meanwhile..
I'm not entirely clear still, though, which is the most likely place of birth after all this excellent discussion.
But I do know that the LEA family were mistranscribed as SEA, living in St John's Rd. Ely, Cambs in the 1881 Census.
I started off this hunt trying to find the Thomas LEA (junior!) who was born in Ely some time in the 1850's - in the 1871 Census he says he's 19 years old (living with the family of the woman he would marry in 1878, Rebecca BETTS. Whereas in 1881 he's only progresses to being 24. I think he was pretending to be older than he actually was in 1871 to impress his future in-laws, and perhaps Rebecca herself!
Just wanted to follow things backwards to his father, the Thomas LEA, born in c1824 in that puzzle name in Cheshire!
Keith
