Thanks for the details. I have to admit, I've had a break through recently. I recently found the granddaughter of my grandfather's sister. She had the marriage cert. of our Gt Grandparents Oliver FRATER & Ellen BUTLER.
They were married 21 Mar 1869 in The Church, Parish St James the Great, Bethnal Green.
From ther certificate she was the daughter of George BUTLER and Elizabeth ?. His job was a Carpenter. The 1871 census have 89 BUTLER's in London but only one was a carpenter. This is
RG10 230 Page 21/35
2 Moray Road, Islington, Upper Holloway
George Butler, Head, Married, 47, Carpenter, Middlesex, Islington
Elizabeth Butler, Wife, Married, 45, , Middlesex, Islington
Benjamin ?, Son in Law, Married, 20, Turner, Middlesex, Islington
Emily ?, Daughter, married, 20, , Middlesex, Islington
Emily ?, Grand daughter, u, 1, , Middlesex, Islington
James Butler, son, Unmarried,23,Painter, Middlesex, Islington
This makes George born circa 1824 in Islington. I have no other details about them but I am very confident that this is the right family as teh names match. The names George, Elizabeth, Emily & James appear in the children's names somewhere. They lived very close to Oliver & Ellen.
After the marriage Oliver became a house painter. Thought this was strange given the trades of the family. But if they were close to Ellen's parents then he may have started working with James, which would explain the change of profession.
I don't have ther ceritificate here at the moment but I the time of the marriage I believe both the FRATER & BUTLER families lived in South Road.
Kerry