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Thank you Sharon. I was aware of the Hyam/ Higham variant in the entries.

I would appreciate if you could please share the details that you found for the happy family in Upwell up to 1864, and the 1881 article.

Thanks

Hi Sharon

I found a marriage of Charles Higham to Margaret Ainsworth:
This was on the Lancashire Online Parish Clerk web site
The marriage took place at St John, Preston, Lancashire on 23 August 1856.
Charles was a Painter.
The marriage certificate will show Charles' age and if he was a widower and this may help to determine if it is the same Charles Hyam found with wife Ellen in 1851, although I think it is unlikely the same Charles.

It would appear that Charles and Margaret might have had a son named Thomas baptised 12 April 1857. This was also on the Lancashire Online Parish Clerk web site, Source shown as LDS film 93989.  Birth certificate will determine if father changed his occupation to publican.

I found a death for a Margaret Higham in Preston, 1859, age 28.  There were others around this time in Lancs and of various ages but this is the most likely.
This was also on the Lancashire Online Parish Clerk web site.
The death certificate would indicate if she was the wife of Charles.

I found a marriage of a Charles Higham to an Ellen Taylor:
Our Lady & St. Nicholas & St. Anne, Liverpool, in 1861
This was in an index on www.LancashireBMD.org.uk, no other details
Again, the marriage certificate should indicate age and if he was a widower.
I also don't know if this Charles and Ellen are the parents of Sarah but it is possible since she was baptised in Liverpool in 1865.

You will note that the marriage of Charles and Ellen in Liverpool took place in 1861, so it is likely not the same couple that you found in 1851 census in Hadley Green, although could be the same Charles that was previously married to Margaret.

With all that, there is no proof that Thomas is son of Charles and Ellen that you found, or indeed  Cornelius that I found. 

We know that Cornelius was a publican, had a son that went by the name Thomas that was born around the right time, who went to jail in the 1880's and never reappeared. Perhaps the info on the marriage cert for Thomas to Emma Robinson are only half truths? He would certainly want to hide from Louisa since he was still married to her! Anyway this Thomas is the one that you mentioned, age 5 in 1861 Norfolk census, I already have that.

As for Charles and Ellen, the difficulty I'm having here is we have nothing at all to show that they had a son, let alone one named Thomas. Apart from your grandmother Annie's verbal information, where is this family in any census after 1851? Birth? Baptism?

Have you looked for Charles Higham in the Liverpool pub in 1871 census? That would be a good place to start since he was apparently there in 1870.  May not be the same Charles but possible.

If you have connections to the family then why not contact them?  They may be able to help.

Hi Sharon

I mentioned that Cornelius Thomas Craddock Hyam's birth was registered in Thetford RD, nothing about Charles being from there.  I have not found anything at all for any Charles that fits in with the little information that was on the marriage certificate of our Thomas in 1890.

Now you did follow up with .......

I have just found records for Thomas Hyam born in Thetford, Norfolk in 1859 to a Charles Hyam, and also records of his father Charles Hyam born 1825 in Norfolk and his family.

They have no connection to the Cornelius Craddock family from Brandon, as all these records are from Thetford.

I would think that there certainly could be a connection between Hyam families of Thetford and of Brandon.  Although in Suffolk, Brandon was part of Thetford Registration District and the 2 places are only 7 miles apart.