Moses versus Henry

[jozy]

Sorry it's so long winded but i wanted to give the details as i have them.
Was he ever born as MOSES SCARROTT?

I have my G.G. grand father Moses SCARROTT c1850 on the 1881 census with his wife and 5 children (including my G. grand father Theodore born April 1878). This is the first proof I have of him. There seems to be no record of his birth. I have his marriage in 1886 to Theodore’s mother some 16 years after the birth of the first child, in 1870.

I can find no reference to Moses c1850 prior to 1881 census. On his marriage cert., dated July 1886 his father is named as Moses Scarrott, rank- cutler. I can find a Moses c1817/1821 Woodstock, Oxon on earlier census. He never appears with a son Moses but does have a son Henry born c1850, (not found birth record for him), who I’m unable to follow through any census and have found no corresponding death for. I’ve looked for Moses born 1845-1855 in birth indexes and found nothing.
So far I have,

On 1851 census,
Moses SCARIOT c1821, Woodstock, Tinman
On 1861 census,
Moses SCARROT c 1821, Woodstock, Razor grinder, along with wife and children. This Moses dies in 1862.
On 1871 census,
His wife Eliza (widow) and some of the female children.
1881 census
Moses SCARROTT c1850, Somerset, Bath, Linen sifter & Hairdresser. With his wife and 5 children including my G. Grand father Theodore.
1891 census,
Moses SCARROTT c1848, Umbrella maker, with wife and 4 children, but no Theodore, anywhere that I can find, not visiting, patient, inmate or anything. I have searched for Theodore born 1845-1855 with anything vaguely like Scarrot as surname and found nothing.
1901 Census.
Moses SCARRETT c1851, Hawker general.
Theodore SCARROTT c1878, with his wife and the 2 of his children then born.

There is a one name study done on this family name and they have no confirmed details for any link between the 2 Moses’ other than as above. So my question is, Was Moses really Henry and if so why did he change his name?

Can anyone suggest anything else I can check?
Thanks for reading this.

[Olde Crone Holden]

I have occasionally found that when father and son have the same name, the son uses his middle name, presumably to avoid confusion when calling people in for their dinner etc.

But obviously, you would need to find a birth reg/baptism for the son of Moses senior, to confirm this!

OC

[jozy]

Thanks again O.C. you've made me feel happier with my thoughts.

I've looked for a birth for Henry and not found one in the right time frame or rough location, although there are some fairly illegible birth listings that could, just possibly, perhaps maybe, with a bit of luck and imagination be potential records of the above.

I suppose it really means just waiting and ordering each potential cert' to rule out the wrong ones so that hopefully by elimination i may end up with the correct one. The problem with this though is that the family were supposedly of Gypsy/ Romany stock so records may not be there. Most of the research I've done shows the 'my' family were all living in houses for each of the census returns but, I do know (from family lore) that we have within the extended family lots who did not for a long time live in houses.