Having now found the following extract by googling Hinchinbrook Thomas Quirk, my suggestion for a possible set of parents for Thomas Quirk looks certain to be wrong, unless Thomas was claiming to be 8 years younger than his real age.

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On 2 February 1826 the packet Hinchinbrook, under the command of Captain Thomas Quirk, was sailing past Alderney towards Guernsey in fine weather when she struck a submerged rock and rapidly filled with water and sank. The mails and all 24 crew and passengers took to the ship's boats and landed safely in Alderney. Captain Quirk, who was 67 years old, was adjudged to be responsible by a committee of inquiry and pensioned off two months later.

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Jean C