Thanks Monica for having a read,
I should have linked my other posts but I see you found them!
I hadn't realised that son David remarried in 1857, but I will check that marriage out as that would have been after civil registration and possibly give me a bit more info. I had had a bit of trouble tracing the other children of Janet Spittal and David Brand. I believe the youngest, Euphemia, did not marry but I'm yet to find a death record. I'll have to go and have a closer look! All the other births and marriages that I've seen do not have too much info.
I have had a detailed search through the British Newspaper Archives and nothing has come up of note re. David and Janet. Perhaps I should do a search for the siblings as well. There are a few articles there about George and his adventures.
My Uncle and I are pretty much sure that his parents were David and Janet, but we would love that missing link to corroborate all the work we've put in. So far, not even DNA has helped. We've considered doing a Y-DNA test, but it is unsure whether we will actually get any results. It's our last resort.
I will have a look at that death/burial on SP as well!
Thanks so much for these leads, I appreciate it!
EB.