Thanks Merlin, I might do that in the near future (financial issues), although I'm afraid the official records can't be trusted regarding the 5th Earl of Aldborough's 'illegitimate' offspring.
The excellent book 'The Anglo Florentines - The British in Tuscany (1814-1860)', by Diana and Tony Webb, states that his Lordship had never permitted any of his children to be either baptised or buried (a child's bones were discovered in an attic of his villa at Leghorn when it was raided by the police in 1849).
Charles Alexander Stratford's death certificate states that he died aged 58 on 13 Nov 1892, which gives us the estimated date of birth of 1834.
It also states that he had been in the Australian Colonies for 28 years.
His age in the passenger's list of the Sea Ranger in Nov 1853 is 23, which gives us the estimated date of birth of 1830.
The death certificate also states that he had been living in Victoria for 28 years and that he was born in Belgium.
His death notice and obituary in the St Arnaud Mercury of Saturday, 19 Nov 1892 state that he was a native of Florence, Italy, and that 'he had been a resident of Avon Plains for over a quarter of a century' (this is confirmed by the death certificate), 'and a colonist of 40 years standing,' which should have been in the death certificate 'how long in the Australian Colonies, stating which', but obviously his wife and the authorised agent who was the informant were unaware of his past life in another Australian Colony.
The obituary also states that 'The deceased gentleman was a native of that famed land of paintings and sculptures, Florence, Italy, and we have good reason to know that to his name were attached titles both honorable and distinctive, which he had every right to, but did not assume.'
His father's name is stated in the death certificate as 'Henry Mason Gerard Stratford', which was the name of his son, but maybe the 5th Earl of Aldborough also liked to be called Henry, who knows, or his wife had no idea of his Lordship's real name.
Same thing goes for Henry Mason Stratford's age.
His death certificate states that he was 75 years old at the time of his death (1911), which gives us 1836 as an estimated date of birth, not consistent with him being the eldest son of his Lordship (as per historical narrative), and not consistent with his stated age(s) on his arrival aboard the Rip Van Winkle in Nov 1852 (21 in one passenger's list and 18 in another).
That's why all the other sources (with no evidence) state that he was born in 1827, and died at the age of 84, probably inferred from his Lordship's date of marriage with Mary Arundell at the British Embassy in Paris (Sep 1926), and that Henry Mason was their eldest son, probably inferred from Arundell's claim that her son 'Henry' was the legitimate 6th Earl of Aldborough, or some other source that I'm yet to find.
(IF her son 'Edward' Stratford was actually called 'Henry Edward', that would explain some of these inconsistencies, which is precisely what I'm trying to establish).
The entry of Henry Edward Stratford's death record has a typo 'STRAHFORD' and also the name on his burial record 'STAFFORD', and his grave is unmarked, no headstone, in a Catholic cemetery (Rookwood), which gives me the impression that his marriage certificate might not say he was the son of the 5th Earl of Aldborough, or give an exact age.
I'll let you know what Henry Edward Stratford's marriage certificate says, when I have the means to buy it, but I'm not holding my breath.
P.S.: email sent to St. Mary's, Balmain. Fingers crossed.
