Good point. I shouldn't assume but as Elizabeth is recorded as aged 55 and Abraham is aged 21, I did!
It could just be that whoever recorded the burial assumed that Elizabeth was Joseph's mother because she was the wife of Thomas and, as Jan has said, no relationships are shown in the 1841 census so Elizabeth would not be recorded as Abraham's mother in that, although to all intents and purposes she probably was fulfilling that role. Janet
Another possibility to consider is that some of the children could have been illegitimate children of Elizabeth, and only took the name Billingham/Bellingham after her marriage to Thomas. I haven't found any evidence to support this theory, but will have another look later: need to go and finish my Christmas shopping now.
