Gaaah! My first post seems to have disappeared.
John Burton and John Royle are one and the same. John Royle was my 2xGGM's second husband. She seems to have been a bit muddled (perhaps the shock of widowhood).
Tom was a Royle; Amelia was a Burton. No evidence of any more offspring of my 2xGGparents. John appears to have decamped before the 1901 Census, and set up home not far away with another (much younger) woman ...
I'm guessing my ancestor gave the wrong information, probably without realising. His life after 1901 has so far proved impossible to discover, as has his death. Evidence suggests he is the John Royle in the 1901 Census in Rochdale (below).
I suspect my 2xGGM never got over the shock of her first husband's death, and John Royle was a poor substitute. Solving the puzzle would mean a lot, and I appreciate having a fresh set of eyes.
. John appears to have decamped before the 1901 Census, and set up home not far away with a much younger woman. My 2xGGM is shown on that Census as 'married' and living with her daughter Amelia's family, but her 1904 death certificate shows her as 'widow of John Royle'. ... 2/3
Thank you for hunting this out for me - it prompted me to re-check the first husband's birthplace, but it's consistently 'Stalybridge'. John's is a bit more vague, but his occupation (variously a 'whitewasher plast[erer]', 'white lime washer', or 'painter') is consistent ...
Comments
John Burton and John Royle are one and the same. John Royle was my 2xGGM's second husband. She seems to have been a bit muddled (perhaps the shock of widowhood).