[kiterunner]

Originally Posted by maggie_4_7

Could this be Thomas Hopkins and Charlotte's marriage:-

Thanks for that, Maggie, but there is a baptism for a child of Henry James Brocklehurst and Charlotte in 1892 so I think the Thomas Hopkins in that marriage married Louisa Matilda.

Originally Posted by HarrysMum

So Lucy started school as Lucy SEARLE? Would she have needed a BC?

I'm presuming so otherwise she would have started as Hopkins (from census) and nobody would have been any the wiser.

I've searched Ancestry, FreeBMD, FMP and GR (hoping for her on someone's tree)
There just doesn't seem to be anything.
Can't find probable births tying the three children together.
Checked marriages for any combination of Searle with Charlotte, Hopkins with Charlotte,
Willima, Thomas, NUFFINK!!!

Thanks for all your searching, Libby.

It turns out that White Lion Street School was the junior school, and I've now found that Lucy Searle started at Penton Grove Infants School 17 Feb 1890, address 14 Hermes St, mother Charlotte. So it could be that Charlotte wasn't with Thomas Hopkins at that date and once Lucy had started school with the surname Searle, she didn't want to change it?

I don't know whether they needed birth certificates to start school at that time.

Originally Posted by Merry

I wouldn't be surprised if Fred was born a bit later as he was younger in 1891 and 1901. I didn't realise you had his dob too, so that's worth another look at the birth regs

I'm glad you said that! I'd found a possible school admission for him but wasn't sure about it because of the age discrepancy with the 1881 census.
Frederick Searle admitted to Winchester Street School, Islington, 2 Jul 1883, date of birth 20 Nov 1878, address 20 Collier St, father William, left 14 Sep 1883.

Now I've found a Frederick Serle admitted to that same school 24 Aug 1885, date of birth 2 Feb 1879, father William, address 64 York Road, previous school All Saints School, leaving date 23 Dec 1886.

Not sure whether this is the same Frederick with a different date of birth! I like the address though.