Hi Derek
The 5th Fusiliers were the 5th Regiment of Foot (Northumberland Fusiliers). The website
www.regiments.org is down at present. It would be well to check them on that site later, as they often have the full list of places they were stationed.
They may have been on their way to Ireland, and the census found them while they were waiting for transport, or they may have been in Scotland at a time of ‘civil unrest’. There was a bit of that around at the time, especially around election time.
You could also try
fusnorthld@aol.com. This is the contact details for their museum. They should have a copy of that regiment’s ‘Historical Records’, which lists movements of the regiment in great detail. Another source would be the Pay and Muster Lists (WO12 in Kew). Researching these is a time consuming process, especially for a regiment like the ‘5th’ as it had two battalions and a depot.
Do you have this man’s papers, or just those of his father? If he was discharged before 1873 his papers will be in WO97 at Kew (if they survive). If they cannot be found you should really check WO12 in case he transferred to another regiment.
If he was discharged after 1872 you do not need the regiment as all infantry papers are filed together in alphabetical order. See -
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory/army/step4.htmKen
