Thank you for your interest Sue, in getting to the bottom of this problem. Over the years as I have been unable to find the origins of my great granddad it has been suggested that he may have been registered under a different name and his mum may have married a Thomas Cox, there are all sorts of possibilities, including that he may not have even been registered.

I have checked Birmingham parish records prior to 1837, and there is an awful lot of parishes in Birmingham and around, around meaning areas such as Aston. I have found one entry that remains a candidate, a baptism of a William Cox from 1833, although this year may be a little early the father was called Thomas he was a plater from records I have 1833 to 1871. My great granddad appears to use the full name of William Henry Cox on all documentation so that one may not be him. I have heard of people being baptised/registered with a middle name and then changing it later on, just to be known with one name, but not this way. If it is him I wouldn't be able to confirm it anyway.

I have the certificate that you refer to, 16 298, the mother is Charlotte Cox, formerly Hodgetts, father is named as William he was a gilder, which is close I think, again I have the theory that there could of been a name change in the household, where perhaps his real name/known name was William/Thomas and was often reversed. I have followed the parents (at least I think it is the parents) on the censuses, in 1841 there is a William and Charlotte living at the same address as is stated on the certificate, William is a carpenter! In 1851 a William and Charlotte living in a different part of Birmingham, William is an innkeeper! On both these censuses a child of the name William Cox does not appear, I don't have William and Charlotte on the 1861 census.

I also have certificates 1844 (16 341) the mother was Caroline Cox with no father mentioned, and 1845 (16 194) Charles Cox the father a brass founder. All the certificates I have, have been found using freebmd, there does seem to be a shortage for the years 1840 - 1843.

I have approached Birmingham register office twice over the period of 6 years to ask about an entry for a William Henry Cox with the father being a Thomas a jeweller, they have looked for me but there has been no such combination.

As for census results, they must be on the 1841 or at least the 1851 somewhere! Unfortunately another idea is that the name has been miserably transcribed wrongly.

So you can see it is not for trying that I have been unable to find this great granddad of mine, and to see this William Henry Cox on the IOM 1901 census and in Brown's directory for 1894 was like a breath of fresh air for me. William Henry Cox and Alice may not have married, he was approaching 60, but if they did that marriage certificate could hold vital information.

Many thanks
Ewan