Joseph Downing b Edgell bp 11 Dec 1821 at Burntwood, parents Joseph and Sarah. Lot of confusion over where Edgell is, variously written in census returns as Edge Hill and Edgall. Edge Hill is a completely different place near Stourton and not the one mentioned in the Downing origins. The Edgell near Burntwood is 1.4 miles east of Burntwood and its modern name is Edial, named after Edial Hall. Many variations of the name Edgell near Burntwood have been found, including Edgell, Eggell, Edgle, Edgele, Edgelle, Edgill, Edghill and many more.
m 13 Mar 1849 to Sarah Clarke at Armitage. Joseph was living at St Michael's Greenhill (Lichfield) at the time of his marriage. There is a strange note under the marriage entry saying that at the time this entry #76 was made (so marriage of Joseph Downing and Sarah Clarke), the register was at Stafford on occasion of the trial of Wm Miden for Bigamy.
No children with Sarah, but he did get his sister-in-law Maria Clarke pregnant in 1861 (son William Green/Downing), and, presumably after his wife's death in 1863, he and Maria lived together, and can be seen in the 1871 and 1881 census returns.
Died 1Q1891 at Dudley, Staffs, no idea what he was doing there. I suspect that they moved back to Burton in the mid 1880s when son William Downing got married, and in 1891 census Maria is seen living with daughter Isadora and family. Burton to Dudley is about 30 miles.