Yes Patrish there is something of a mystery connected with all this.
I know that Ellen Downs came from Staffordshire, and I know that by 1851 she was married to William Newton (of Northamptonshire) and living in Birmingham. But I cannot find either of them in 1841.
I just wondered if Ellen was still in Staffs in 1841 (hence my query); it might help me to work things out a bit. There is a possibility that she was a second wife and brought children from a first marriage to Birmingham. If she married twice, I suppose Downs might be her original surname or the surname of her first husband.....
Oh dear. Perhaps I should investigate the marriage first and then work backwards to the census. Anyway, thanks for your interest. I think I'll leave it there for the moment, and see if I can go at it from a different direction.
Thank you,
Florence