Hi Bryan,
I'm not surprised your "stuck" as James was a VERY popular name indeed right thro the Constance family of 1800s Longhope, as I'm sure you've found.
However I wonder if your dates are very slightly astray, I don't have easy Census access but according to the LDS site there are two likely James' born around 1806;

"England and Wales Census, 1871"
Name: James Constanse
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1871
Gender: Male
Age: 63
Relationship to Head of Household: Self
Birthplace: Longhope, Gloucestershire
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Monmouth
Sub-District: Dingestow
Parish: Llantilio Crossenny
County: Monmouthshire
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Self James Constanse M 63 Longhope, Gloucestershire
Wife Harriet Constanse F 51 Foscott, Staffordshire
Daughter Martha Constanse F 23 All Saints, Herefordshire

So this James Constanse aka Constance was born Longhope abt 1808 but has moved out of the immediate area by 1871, although as Longhope's parish Church is All Saints and Longhope is right on the Herefordshire border I wonder if they were still in Longhope when daughter Martha was born in 1848 ?. Eitherway, if you havent already done so I think this family needs further work thro the earlier Census', hopefully finding Helen too.

Same James born abt 1808, now in 1861, so maybe the above All Saints is indeed in Hereford and not the Longhope one ?

"England and Wales Census, 1861"
Name: James Constance
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1861
Gender: Male
Age: 53
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Birthplace: Longhope, Gloucestershire
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Hereford
Sub-District: 4 Hereford City
Ecclesiastical Parish: Hereford
Parish: All Saints
Residence County: Herefordshire

----------------------------------------

However there was also another James Constance apparently born a year or two earlier and presumably ? to different parents, again from LDS;

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975"
Name: James Constance
Gender: Male
Christening Date: 15 Sep 1805
Christening Place: LONGHOPE,GLOUCESTER,ENGLAND
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Death Date:
Name Note:
Race:
Father's Name: Theophilus Constance
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Mary
Mother's Birthplace:
Mother's Age:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C03000-1
System Origin: England-ODM
GS Film number: 425458
Reference ID:

I presume this is the same James, all "born abt 1806";

"England and Wales Census, 1861"
Name: James Constance
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1861
Gender: Male
Age: 55
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Birthplace: Gloucester Longhope
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Westbury-On-Severn
Sub-District: 2 Huntley
Ecclesiastical Parish:
Parish: Longhope
Residence County: Gloucestershire

"England and Wales Census, 1871"
Name: James Constance
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1871
Gender: Male
Age: 65
Relationship to Head of Household: Self
Birthplace: Longhope, Gloucestershire
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Westbury On Severn
Sub-District: Huntley
Parish: Longhope
County: Gloucestershire
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Self James Constance M 65 Longhope, Gloucestershire
Wife Sophia Constance F 64 Woodham Walter, Essex
Daughter Lucy Elizebeth Constance F 26 Longhope, Gloucestershire

"England and Wales Census, 1881"
Name: James Constance
Age (Original): 75
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1806
Birthplace: Longhope, Gloucestershire, England
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Wood Turner & Stail Maker And Farmer Employing 22 Men 1 B Oy
Address: 8 Village Street Springfields
Event Place: Longhope, Gloucestershire, England
Disability:
Record Type: Household
GS Film number: 1341609
Affiliate Publication Number: RG11
Piece/Folio: 2525 / 80
Page Number: 8
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head James Constance M 75 Longhope, Gloucestershire, England
Wife Sophia Constance F 74 Woodham Walton, Essex, England
Son James H Constance M 29 Longhope, Gloucestershire, England
Servant Alice Hamblin F 18 Newnham, Gloucestershire, England

Judging by the Occupation note and Address it seems this James Constance is the then head of the James Constance Steam Sawmills which was the main local employer by far, see this Directory etc.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cbennett/longhope1876.htm
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/kellys/Longhope_1879.htm
This photo shows part of the Mill, all under the gaze of Springfield House.
http://www.longhopevillage.co.uk/thenandnow/index.asp?album=2&image=1

The Mill grew from the barrelmaking business of an earlier James Constance c1720. Theophilius, James' son, took over and established the company naming it after his father in 1788. Theophilius is shown as father of "this" James at his 1805 Baptism shown above.
http://www.longhopevillage.co.uk/history/industry/

For a more detailed history see
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/fodmembers/index.php?id=47163

A contempory account of the Mill's business c1904 written for the Gloucester Journal
http://www.coaley.net/indglos_1904/ig190440.pdf

-------------------

I'm sure you already know Bryan, the Longhope Village website may also be able to help you as it carries some Census info plus several Constance grave photos & memorial transcripts.
http://www.longhopevillage.co.uk/familyhistory/

http://www.forest-of-dean.net/gallery/longhope/pages/page_1.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-368000-219000/page/14

Hope this helps you if only a little..

Hi M,
thanks for clearing that up, and how nice to see you know Harriet's birthplace, it sound's charming. Looking up the many Harriet Dales on LDS & FreeBMD I got the impression Harriet was as popular a name in the Staffordshire Dales (?!) as James was in the Longhope Constances.
You now mention you think maybe a second marriage. Must admit that was my initial thought too, given the 1856 date seemed quite late in their lives. However as there were apparently two James born abt 1806 in the 1861 Census in two different areas I thought perhaps not ?? Having now read the c1876 Trade Directories# and compared to the 1881 Census I'm still unsure whether there were two James Constances in Longhope at the time, both seemingly well-off, one a Farmer and t'other the Mill owner, or do they refer to one & the same James as hinted by the 1881 Census ?. I suspect the farmer is a son, but ??

Either way I'm sure you'll clear it up,
atb Jeff

# I added some more background info wrt the Saw Mill to my earlier post which hopefully helps, the Directories name a few? James Constances. Certainly the Constance name was a very important one in the village for many years well into the C20th. The Mill is a subject close to my heart as my grandfather worked there boy & man as a turner for many years, as did his father before him, very luckily for me they're in this photo.
http://www.longhopevillage.co.uk/thenandnow/index.asp?album=2&image=4

I still have some of Grampy's pieces which he apparently turned in his spare lunchtimes from scrap leftovers of beech, walnut etc, which explains why the standard lamp is such an interesting variety of colours/grains thro it's constituent sections !. I was impressed to see he'd turned internal & external screwthreads at the ends of the sections to fit them into one long standard with a "table" section midway, clearly they were skilled workers at the Mill. Cutting screwthreads using a metalcutting lathe is difficult, doing so on a lathe which just turns the wood workpiece, so the cutting tools are hand-held rather than bolted-down & machine-moved, must be far harder !.

Glostershire Archives hold several items related to the Constance Mill's history, see
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=040-d3824&cid=0#0

Also see this article giving a modern view of work at the Mill.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-368000-219000/page/14

For completion:-

1851 England Census
HO107/1960; Folio: 20; Page: 273
Arrow Village, Dymock, Gloster

Lodging with Job Wall and family:

James Constance - Lodger - Mar - 43 - Wooder [sic] Turner - Gloster, Longhope
Alfred Constance - Lodger - U - 15 - Wooder [sic] Turner - Gloster, Longhope

"James CONSTANCE and his family are living next door to James & Helen Nelmes in Hereford, Leominster on the 1861 census
(a very faint census)

2 Ackel...... Place"

Ailesbrook Place

Hello mpg and all members,

I am the great grandson of Alfred Constance, and therefore the great-great-grandson of James and Jane Constance. I am therefore extremely interested in all that has been written in this forum, and I would like to hear from anyone to exchange information.

I have written a family tree but also the life story of Alfred, from his childhood to his flourishing business as a steam printer in London. I have had considerable help only this week from a researcher in the Hereford Archive Service, which is providing extra leads, particularly about the Nelmes connection.

I look forward to hearing from anyone similarly interested.

Alec.