I have a William Bailey in my family and I cannot verify his birth so finding it difficult to confirm his parents.

I know his father was John Bailey a Bricklayer (have copy of William's marriage certificate) He was born in Hackney, confirmed via census records. I believe his parents may have been John Bailey b1811 and mother Mary Mason b 1801. I cannot find any any parish record and I understand from the London Met Archives that all Hackney Parish records are on here. The only record I can find is for a baptism of a William Bailey on 1st November 1835 at the Hackney Workhouse and the mother is a single woman Sarah Bailey. The co-incidence of this is that Mary Mason had a daughter Sarah who was born in 1821, so her husband John Bailey, couldn't have been Sarah's father. I am wondering if William was in fact Sarah's child but John and Mary included him on census records as their own.

If anyone has any info I would be really pleased to hear from them. I have come to a brick wall on this one.

Thanks - Lorraine