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Maybe part of wider Hale family
A Jane Hale married a John Cutter in Warfield on 31 May 1830. A Cutter family are on 1851 census which may be the same couple (haven't checked mmn of children yet) in Cookham
Piece number 1694, Folio 300, Page 18
Jane was born about 1808 in Hurley.

A George Hale was buried in Wargrave on 08 Jul 1802 (no age given). Could he be grandfather of baby George?

In terms of the Cutter/ Hale family of Cookham, you are correct. The mother's maiden surname for at least one of the children (Martha) is Hale.

If a birth about 1806 is correct, then Stephen would be born before James and Mary married. have you looked for a baptism for a Stephen with surname Swain?

That's a great thought, Lizzie! No I haven't.

Just did a search on FindMyPast (free version) and Ancestry with the surname Swaine (with name variants) and have come up with nothing.

Hi All,

A Note: This is my first time researching Berkshire ancestors so I'm not very familiar with what is/isn't available or where to look. I only have an Ancestry subscription which hasn't been much help for my Berkshire ancestors. Any advice will be much appreciated.

My goal is to find a possible baptism record for Stephen HALE, find out how many siblings he had, the dates of death for his parents and if possible their ancestry.

My ancestor Stephen HALE came to Western Australia with his wife Emma HARDING and two kids (one would die on the journey) on the Simon Taylor in 1842. According to his death registration in the WA BDM Index he died aged 90 in 1896, giving him an est. DOB of 1806. His parents were also named as James HALE and Mary SWAINE.

Stephen is present in Warfield in the 1841 census, a 25-year-old brick maker, with his wife Emma and daughter Mary. This is where we start to see the age discrepancy, as this would give him an est. DOB of 1816. (I know Censuses weren't incredibly accurate for age, especially the 1841 census)

Stephen's marriage to Emma HARDING took place in Warfield on the 25 Dec 1838 in Warfield, Berkshire. His age was given as above 21 and his father's name given as James HALE.

So far I've found a marriage index record for James HALE and Mary SWAINE for the 12 Feb 1809 in Easthampstead, Berkshire. I've also found a baptism index record for a George HALE born to a James and Mary in Warfield, Berkshire on the 20 Sep 1809. These are from Ancestry.com. However, I've not been able to find anything else.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,
EBrand 

Not exactly, when Janet appeared at the Kirk Session on 3 June 1844 she "declared herself pregnant". Interestingly, the woman he would marry on the 8 Dec 1844 (Margaret Ferguson) was also present and he "confessed his guilt with the said Margaret who was present". So, he may have already been betrothed to Margaret when this affair happened.
Apparently according to witnesses John and Janet were seen together "last Halloween" and "the evening after Halloween Ball" which would have been 31 Oct/1 Nov 1843.

If this is when John Jr was conceived she would have been about 7 months pregnant at her appearance at the Kirk Sessions. Meaning John Jr may have been born August/Sep 1844. But this is all based on 'if' John Jr was conceived at that time.

Forfarian,

Thank you, I will have a look at these and update if I find something. What an awesome resource!

Neale1961,

That's a route I haven't looked down yet, but is definitely possible. I will have a look into this. Great advice, thank you!