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Many thanks for that. I'll have to look at my research again. That all matches the 1841 Census except for the birth of Mary (but the 1841 census is notoriously unreliable for ages.) I found a George Batey there at Hanover Square, Newcastle. The parents were John Batey (b. 1791) and Elizabeth (b. 1801) both from Belford, Northumberland and married at All Saints, Newcastle in 1820 as I mentioned earlier, and that is not a match with Hannah Brown.

I'd like to believe the family rumours were true after all, and I already had found Hannah Dodds (the daughter of Ellen Boutland) but didn't know about the Boutland shipbuilding connection, so as you say, the circumstantial evidence persuasive.

I have a Hannah Spoor from Hexham who married a James Crozier. Their daughter, Hannah Crozier was the second wife of my 3rd Great Grandfather, Thomas Elliott, born Bell's Close in 1816. Does anyone here have information on him? A long shot, but the Spoor, Elliott and Whickham just seems too much of a coincidence.

His first wife, my 3rd G Grandmother, Sarah Nicholson's family came from Whickham/Swalwell. Her family married into Hall and Maddsion and Ewart and later into Allen. They went to live at South Shore, Gateshead working at New Greenwich. Most likely they all worked for the heavy engineering firm of Hawks, Crawshay & Sons. So they probably worked at the Ambrose Crowley works in Swalwell before that. After that descendants went to work in Hunslet, Leeds, Poplar and Erith,  Norwich.

My Elliott ancestors were Boiler Makers. The Halls were Chain Makers. The Maddisons were Boiler Makers. Ewarts were Brass Moulders. Allens were Boiler Makers and Anchor Smiths.

Hi I'm looking for a different George Batey. I can't find any connection between your family and mine but you may be interested that my family rumour was that my Bateys were related to the Batey family who were tug owners on the River Tyne. That business began in 1840 with a John Batey, born about 1812, and continued with his sons and others into the second half of the 1800's, eventually becoming Lawson-Batey.

Unfortunately, I can't find any connection with that family, but you might want to look more closely given that they are also from North Shields.

Incidentally, at that time, North and South Shields were probably better connected than North Shields and Newcastle. Travel by boat across the river would have been considerably easier than any journey by road. The two Shields were considered as the same port from the point of view of ship registrations. There were so many boats on the Tyne it was said you could walk over it. There was a Mariners Church, St. Hilda's, in South Shields were you will find most sailors married, especially if they were foreign.

Anyhow, I digress. My George Batey was born about 1825 in Newcastle and was a Boiler Maker. He married Sarah Johnson who was born in Gateshead about 1826. He lived in Hanover Square in the 1841 census, while she lived in Pipewellgate, Gateshead. They married in Kingston upon Hull in the first quarter of 1846. They then moved to London and are in Hudson Town, West Ham on the 1851 census and in Poplar in 1861.

George became an  Engine Boiler Maker for the London and Blackwall Railway Company. This railway had been originally designed by Robert Stephenson to use cable-haulage from stationary steam engines but was converted in 1848 to use steam locomotives. I assume this was when George began working for them.

On 26 Aug 1861 George suffered a violent death caused from jumping from a Railway Carriage. His family then stayed with relations in Erith before eventually all returning to the North East.

I'd be interested if anyone has any further information regarding either his death, his work or the Blackwall Railway.