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Thoughts and suggestions welcome please, this is driving me nuts now.

I have an ancestor, Henry Sutcliffe, who was born in Heptonstall in 1783. By 1804 he was married and living in Barrowford. He was the son of a Thomas Sutcliffe.
4 May 1833, Henry returned to Heptonstall to take a boy, Thomas Sutcliffe, as an apprentice. On the document that signed the boy over to Henry, it says he is 9 years & 1 month and an orphan. I am trying to find out who Thomas's parents were as I think he must have been related for Henry to travel back to Heptonstall to collect him. The document said 'parents are dead'. Thomas had been placed on the Heptonstall Apprentice register on the 27th April 1833, aged 9 years 1 month and was listed as an orphan.

I had originally thought that Thomas must be the son of one of Henry's brothers but I cannot find a baptism in Heptonstall that would tally with the March 1824 birth. I know this will not be set in stone and that ages are often wrong.
However, while looking at the Poor Law records at Halifax archives on Friday, I stumbled across some affiliation and examination records that made me re-think Thomas's origins. I had not thought that he may be the illegitimate son of a sister of Henry...I have no idea why!?
So, I set about looking at the bastardy bonds etc. that would relate to an illegitimate child.

I found two records that could be for this young boy, Thomas.
They were:-

Examination of Hannah Sutcliffe, Heptonstall and affiliation order to Luke Jowett, Heptonstall, weaver, the pupative father of her bastard son. Dated 4 March 1824. Hannah delivered male child 4 weeks ago. (I have a marriage for Luke Jowett dated 19/6/1823)

Affiliation order to John Sutcliffe, Heptonstall, clogger, pupative father of the bastard son of Hannah Sutcliffe, Heptonstall. 23 December 1824. I also found the examination paper for this same person. Hannah delivered male child 5 weeks ago.

Henry did have a younger sister by the name of Hannah so these are valid possibilities. From the info in the apprentice documents, I'd like to think the first of these two records is for Thomas. Sadly, I could not find a baptism for either boy to confirm names the names of the 'male children'.

So I set about looking for deaths for Hannah and found nothing that would match. I also looked at marriages. There is one possibility but as marriages before 1837 do not give parents names, I am not sure enough that it is the right Hannah.

Back to young Thomas. Another theory I am playing around with in my head - Henry's father Thomas died in August 1832. Could he have been the guardian of young Thomas, leaving him as the responsibility of the Parish following this 1832 death? If this is the case, how/where can I find a record of Thomas between August 1832 and April 1833? I think I have exhausted the Heptonstall Poor Law index at Halifax. I went through it several times looking for something, anything. I am happy to look again though if anyone has suggestions of something I have missed.

I have found young Thomas on the 1841 census, this is really where the quest began. He was living with Henry's son and daughter-in-law in Barrowford. I have not found him in 1851 nor have I found a marriage or a death for him.

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Mel

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Have you photographed the Sutcliffe graves at Heptonstall? There are many, but perhaps you will find a grave for Thomas along with his parents.

I photographed a lot of them Kris but as I don't know who his parents were, it's a needle in a haystack.
I've also had a look through the pdf I posted here (viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1970 ) earlier but again, nothing is jumping at me.

Sutcliffe is the second most common surname in Heptonstall, after Greenwood.

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Mel

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