Missing Field births

[Terri]

In a bit of a mess with this family.

Parents: (probably!)
William Field born 1825 Wickham Market, Suffolk
Ann Last born 1830 Butley, Suffolk, died 1903
(Can't find a marriage, which is making me anxious, but on census, William is married to an Ann born 1830 Butley and Butley was a small village.)

Children, as found on census:

1. Maria Field born 1852 Wickham Market
On GRO site - no birth found. Appears only on 1861 census, can't find her after that, no death found though possibly married by 1871

2 William Field born 1857 Ipswich
On GRO site - no birth found

3. Harriet Field born 1858 Ipswich
On GRO site - birth found, mother LAST

4. Kate Field born 1860 Ipswich
On GRO site - birth found, mother LAST

5. Maria Field born 1862 Ipswich
On GRO site - birth found, mother LAST, but she doesn't appear on census, no death found.

6. Laura Field born 1864 Ipswich
On GRO site - birth found, mother LAST

7. Emily Field born 1869 Ipswich
On GRO site, no birth found. There is a birth and death for an Emily Ann Field in Ipswich in 1869, but my Emily is on 1871 census

8. Alice Field born 1874 Ipswich
On GRO site, no birth found.

Because of the age gap between Maria and William, I'm guessing the first Maria may either be the illegitmate child of Ann (who was working in Wickham Market in 1851) though I can find no evidence of that, or maybe more likely a child from a previous marriage of William Field's. But despite his being consistently born in Wickham Market in later censuses, I can't find him in 1851 to get a clue. Even if that is the case, surely you wouldn't name a future child Maria unless the first one had died.

So after the block of girls in the middle, all neatly 2 years apart and with an appropriate mother named on the birth registrations, there is another age gap and two more mysteries.

The family are living in Ipswich in all censuses.

[Merry]

Can't find a marriage, which is making me anxious, but on census, William is married to an Ann born 1830 Butley and Butley was a small village.)

And Ann was in Wickham Market in 1851 where Maria was born.

[Terri]

Yes, in 1851, still single at that point

[Merry]

You could check the age at death of this one whilst I eat my lunch

Deaths Sep 1863
FIELD*Maria Ipswich 4a 417

[Terri]

You're a star Merry, that's Maria number 2 presumably accounted for then.

And please - go and eat your lunch, this isn't urgent! lol lol

[Merry]

Did you see a few of the children were bap together in 1865? I wondered if that was because the couple had finally got married, but that doesn't seem to have been the case.

[Terri]

No I didn't. Are the baptisms on Ancestry?

[Merry]

It seems quite reasonable that William was not registered as the onus was on the registrar to track down births and get the paperwork completed. Maria is more interesting as there is a gap between her birth and William's. I wondered if she was an illegitimate dau of Ann's and was also not registered. That doesn't account for her not being registered for death though (presume she died 1861-2 as after the 1861 census and before the birth of the other Maria). Some deaths (particularly children) didn't get registered in the early years, but I think for every five cases I've found where that appears to be the case in the end it's been proven the death WAS registered, just not in the expected name.

[kiterunner]

There is an Anna Maria Last birth registered Jan-Mar 1852 Plomesgate, no mother's maiden name shown on the GRO site, which supposedly means illegitimate.

[Terri]

I was wondering if any or all of the children for whom births cant be found were registered in different names, but they should still have "Last" as a mother.