Dear both
Many thanks for these very helpful leads. Like you, I had found him in 1881 as follows:
1881 Census of Stafford
RG11/Piece / Folio 2820 / 102
5 Churm Terrace
Walsall Foreign
Henry PONTING Head M Male 36 ...* Iron Worker
Eliza PONTING Wife M Female 37 Pelsall, Stafford, England
Jabez PONTING Son U Male 17 Blakenall, Stafford, England Iron Worker
Edward PONTING Son U Male 15 Blakenall, Stafford, England Iron Worker
Eliza Ann PONTING Daur U Female 10 Blakenall, Stafford, England Scholar
Mary PONTING Daur U Female 8 Blakenall, Stafford, England Scholar
Elizabeth PONTING Daur U Female 6 Blakenall, Stafford, England Scholar
Henry PONTING Son U Male 3 Blakenall, Stafford, England
Charles PONTING Son Male 9 m Blakenall, Stafford, England
*The place of birth is either missing or illegible
From the above, Henry PONTING was born about 1845. I couldn't find any of the children being born in Staffordshire under the name PONTING, but there are several named POINTON, POYNTON or PONTON, which could be a variant spelling.
There is a possible marriage between Henry POINTING and Eliza ROWLEY at Walsall, Staffordshire on 18 DEC 1865. The question is where was he from? It has been suggested that he was from Bristol, and indeed there is a Henry PONTING aged 6 (i.e, born in 1845) in the Clifton Workhouse in 1851, but he is the only PONTING in the Workshouse, suggesting that he was abandoned or else his mother had died sometime between 1845 and 1851.
However, your finds suggest Cirencester (or even Wolverhampton!) as possible places of birth.
Curiouser and curiouser...
Happy New Year, by the way, and many thanks for responding.
Best wishes
Phil
