Thanks for the help
I am now fairly certain the the parents of James (1855/7) were Thomas and Susan (searle or scarle) who married in 1843 at St Julians Norwich. They are listed as shoemakers in 1841 through to 1861 and there is a family tradition of shoemaking so they may be the right family. James did not follow this and is listed as a general labourer, I believe he worked on the windmills because my grandfather recalled being taken to work by his father when he was about 12, his first job was to paint part of a windmill sail.
It is possible that Susan died around 1861 and there was a second marriage since I have now found the same combination of names and birth dates, but with a different younger wife plus two more children. The family is still resident in Norwich but my branch seems to have moved towards Yarmouth, a logical move because Yarmouth was growing quickly at this stage with the new silk mill.
I am not sure about the W in James (1855/7) but it may be William, this is only because my grandfather said he had the same name as his father and he was James William