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This may be a complete red herring, but the 1871 census has a George Walters born c1837 Shepton Mallet (nearest place of any size to Westcombe and Batcombe), could this be William's brother from census 1841 and 1851?

Did both brothers join the military?

Name: George Walters
Age: 34
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1837
Gender: Male
Where born: Shipton Mallet, Somerset, England
[Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England]
Civil Parish: St Mary
County/Island: Breconshire
Country: Wales
Registration District: Brecknock
Sub-registration District: Brecknock
ED, institution, or vessel: Barracks

Flicking back through the census images it appears to be the 1/23, first battalion 23rd Regiment of Foot, Royal Welsh Fusiliers?

EDIT, found the record for this chap, and he was discharged at CORK in 1876. Just a co-incidence?

First name(s): George
Last name: WALTERS
Calculated year of birth: 1836
Parish of birth: Skiptonmallet
Town of birth: Bristor
County of birth: Somerset
Age at attestation: 18 years
Attestation date: 27 November 1854
Attestation corps:
Attestation soldier number:
Discharge rank: Private
Discharge corps: 1st Bn 23rd Reg Of R W Fusiliers
Discharge soldier number: 4568
The National Archives reference: WO97

Kucinta - good work!

John...I really do think the Ann in Bristol with her children are totally and utterly red herrings.

But I really do not know why young William would be in Cork in 1855 to enlist....unless he was too young to enlist legitimately over here?

I'd pursue the ancestral leads we have given though short of pitching up in parishes I don't know how! I'd also expend £9.25 getting the marriage certificate of Lucy Walters and Zebedee Croker. May well be the complete red herring - but it's worth a punt just to discount it :-)

Happy New Year - which of course it already is in Australia!!

Jude

Thanks, Jude! :-)

I am not sure about being too young to enlist,,sure I have seen quite a few under 18s on Englsh records.

He may of just wanted to travel after all he had probably been working from a young teenager...he could have gone anywhere...Australia, Canada ect but chose Ireland

Hi Kucinta
On mature reflection and admitting the possibility that my chosen Ann was not the correct Ann and that William had a brother called George, you may be on to something with the George Walters in the the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. His discharge in Cork is starting to look significant.
Thanks, though it has opened up another even larger can of worms!
Cheers
John

I should add that there were two children named George Walter baptised in Batcombe that could be the soldier George Walters born c1837 Shepton Mallet; one was the son of James and Hannah/Ann, the other the son of Samuel and Eliza, who were breeding in the area around the same time as James and
Hannah.

EDIT : Oops! I meant Richard and Hannah/Ann , not James!

So it could still be a red herring.

County Somerset
Place Batcombe
Church St Mary the Virgin
RegisterNumber 663
DateOfBirth
BaptismDate 29 May 1836
Forename George
Sex M
FatherForename Samuel
MotherForename Eliza
FatherSurname WALTER
MotherSurname
Abode Westcombe
FatherOccupation Labourer
Notes
FileNumber 6147

County Somerset
Place Batcombe
Church St Mary the Virgin
RegisterNumber 687
DateOfBirth 21 Aug 1835
BaptismDate 09 Jul 1837
Forename George
Sex M
FatherForename Richard
MotherForename Hannah
FatherSurname WALTER
MotherSurname
Abode Westcombe late of Batcombe
FatherOccupation Shoemaker
Notes
FileNumber 6147

Given that Richard and Hannah's son is recorded as born 1835, it might even be more likely the soldier is Samuel and Eliza's son.

Not meaning to muddy the waters, just trying to give you as much info as possible to work with.

Kucinta
Thank you for your additional information.

At the very least it is a reasonable presumption that both families were related in such a small place as Westcombe.

Back to full time work today so time is restricted but investigating this will keep me out of trouble for a week or two!

Thanks again.
John