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Hi,

Hoping that someone can help me (and quite a few others researching the same family).

We have an ancestor, William Pulley who was born around 1800, Marsham, Norfolk. I say around 1800 because various sources put the year of birth as 1799, 1800, 1801 or 1803. These sources include family trees submitted to websites (not always reliable), IGI sources (also not always reliable), and dates calculated from other existing records (marriage, shipping records etc).

William was a convict who came to Australia in 1822 after being convicted in the Lent Assizes, 1821.

Differing sources give his father's name as William Telvice Pulley, William Tobias Pulley and Tobias Pulley. The dilemma exists because of a very poorly written middle name on his death certificate, and because in the IGI there is a parish record of a William Pulley born to Tobias Pulley and Martha Lavender in 1801. Martha Lavender is listed as his mother on the death certificate.

However LDS members have submitted a William born 1799 to William Pulley and Martha Lavender, and also a marriage between a Tobias Pulley and a Martha Lavender in 1803. Hence the confusion.

I have searched everything available online to clear this up.

If anyone can find any parish records relating to the birth of William Pulley circa 1800 or the marriage of Martha Lavender to William or Tobias Pulley I would be very grateful.

Also if there are any Assize records that could be consulted - the details are conviction on 24 March 1821 - sentence 7 years - date of birth given as 1800. He was supposedly convicted for stealing an ass from a John Smith of Lessingham. I don't know whether parent's names might be available on any of the court records ??

Any help very much appreciated, thanks

Anne