Joseph Thorogood help please!

[LMChapman]

I'm trying to trace the birth info and parents of a Joseph Thorogood in Essex. As far as I can tell, he married an Emma Hicks on December 25th 1872 in Cressing (Essex Marriage and Banns index on FindMyPast) and they had a daughter Emily, who was my sister-in-law's great-grandmother.
All of the census results I can find give his birth place consistently as Cressing, c1853. I have done some work on this and have a theory - but wondered if anyone else felt like having a look, so I can see if I might be on the right track?

[CaroleW]

Is there a father named on his marriage cert?

[CaroleW]

Baptised 23.4.1854 mother Harriet Thorogood - no father shown

Here's his birth reg so buying a copy of his birth cert will confirm he was illegitimate. 

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2N69-7V6

GRO online shows no mmn

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/Login.asp

[CaroleW]

Have you checked out the marriage of Harriet Thoroughgood 1857 Braintree?  She married Thomas Young at All Saints Cressing 24.10.1857 & 1861 entry has a son Joseph aged 7.

1861 indexed as Youngs

[LMChapman]

Thank you CaroleW for all of this! It lines up with what I was thinking so I'm happy to know my deductions were sensible. I'm not so used to working with English records. Can I ask where you found the baptism date?

[LMChapman]

On the marriage record his father is given as Joseph Crozier, which is what set me off on this hunt to begin with!

[CaroleW]

I found the baptism on Ancestry.   If you have access - here's the link but it's transcription only - no image

www.rootschat.com/links/01q7h

1857 marriage transcription

www.rootschat.com/links/01q7i

[CaroleW]

The 1851 has a Joseph Crozier b 1832 Cressing - living in Cressing with parents Joseph & Sarah.  It's possible your Joseph jnr was aware of who his biological father was hence naming him on his marriage cert

[LMChapman]

Yes that's what I was thinking. It's such a small town it makes sense that he would know his bio father I suppose, but actually naming him on a marriage certificate, when he also has a stepdad, seems quite unusual to me.