People in the "transport" business were much more mobile than those in, for example, agriculture. There was not much accommodation at the Cow Roast at the time so Harriett might even have been born on a barge! In the 1881 census there were six barges moored at nearby Berkhamsted or Northchurch - three of which included the captain's family.

I assume that you have not yet got Harriet's birth certificate to see what is recorded about where she was born - and her father's occupation. FreeBMD shows a Harriett Fox was registered at Berkhampstead in the Sept 1848 quarter (Volume 6 Page 452). 

If you get a copy I will be most interested to learn what it says.

July, 2006

Ros wrote again to say I found I'd been following the wrong Fox family.  We're not related to Harriet after all.  It's a shame, because her Foxes are far more interesting than ours, but there you go.  So I don't feel entitled to send for a copy of her birth certificate, and we may never know if she was born on a barge.

There are web page for Cow Roast & Grand Junction Canal

If you can add to the information given above tell me.