A number of years have passed so previously interested parties may no longer be listening in.
...............
I'm still here and most definitely still interested. Many thanks for reviving this thread.
I haven't looked at the Hartley's jam (sorry!

) for a few years, so it's time I gave it fresh thought. I have always been pretty certain that Martley is a misreading and am convinced by Hartley. Placing Hartleys in the same location as Larchers is very significant. I am intrigued by the idea of Ruth vanishing and Rebecca appearing but I wouldn't be brave enough to put money on it. At the moment my thinking is:
"there is strong circumstantial evidence to suggest that Rebecca is the daughter of the John Hartley who married Susan Corke".