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Thank you for clarifying that, Victor.

I had been confuzzled by another John burial, at Minchinhampton in 1830, because John and Mary's son William was a victualler at Minchinhampton. However an admon was granted in 1831 to another Mary who, it is now clear, was William's wife (John junior's mother).   

Curiouser and curiouser!

I have just received the 1857 Will of Robert ASHCROFT, who d 22/03/1861. It was proved at L'pool 18/04/1861 in the substantial sum of up to £3,000. Unusually, it's quite easy to read.

Whilst his wife is referred to, at no point is her name given!

Also, the bulk of his estate was placed at the disposal of a nephew and great-nephew as executors and short term beneficiaries. Nieces also benefit from bequests, including a best feather bed and bedstead! No mention of any sons, or other directs apart from (apparently) three married daughters or their issue.

More brainstorming needed, I fear.

   

A big thank-you, Trish, for your interest!

The more I look at this the more confuzzled I become, and the more convinced I am that I (and others) have concatenated two families.

Yes, I have Alice, James, William and John (source: opc). For some reason I hadn’t picked up Joseph, for which many thanks. But I also have: Robert (bap 1787), Catherine (1788), Ann (1790), James (1792), Thomas (1794), and Michael (1796). All sourced from opc but parish shown as Litherland. Not convinced about that. Litherland is certainly the right side of L’pool, and therefore arguably more credible than my Robert m Mary in Toxteth?

It was interesting to see Alice’s Aughton m to Mr Taylor witnessed by Michael. A brother? Or not? No other credible Aughton contenders listed by opc.

Whilst 1806 Ann was bap @ Aughton, the two Michaels (1796 and 1799) from Robert and Mary, with no Lancs record of an intervening infant burial, is just another bamboozlement – both being bap @ Litherland.

Like you, I haven’t found Mary’s death/burial.

The probate record I have is from ancestry. It is a scan of the original grant, referring to Robert, yeoman of Aughton, with estate of under £3,000 at 18/04/1861. This does tie neatly with a death on 22/03/1861 and burial @ Aughton on 25/3/1861. Executors were James (nephew) and John (great-nephew). Perfectly possible, but the actual will is not yet freely on-line, so no record of bequests as yet. I am committed to buy a speculative copy.

Hmmm. Other than that, where to go?

Lancashire parish clerks (bless'em) have proved really useful to me for researching these folk. However this fertile family was particularly fond of recycling Christian names  . . .

Robert ASHCROFT was bap 04/09/1774 in Aughton. Some folks have happily published that he m Mary BAYBOT/BAYBAL in Toxteth, Liverpool during 1787, which (assuming his was an infant bap) seems a wee bit unlikely at very best. Did they then produce a clutch of children before he was widowered and m(2) Ann DARWIN in 1814? Not at all sure.

Has anyone got better thoughts on this please?
 

Sorry Lisa, he was Capt. Edward HERBERT RN (approx 1758-1820), whose ancestry is a bit of a mystery anyway, due to extra-curricular activity.

Another aggrannoyance concerned someone who was insistent that one of mine had married at 12yrs old (and produced the first sprog two years later). I mean, I know that happened in royal and such exalted circles, but mine certainly weren't.

I could go on . . .