Illegitimacy? Bigamy? Advice and Help Needed!

[lolaclare]

I have a mysterious ancestor whose name seemed to change half way through his life and I would very much appreciate everyone's advice as I can't seem to figure it out.

The details I have are:
1850 –   Marriage Cert – July 17th
James Ashworth Spencer married Mary Ann Walch in Bolton (residence = Egerton)
James’ surname is Spencer but he gives his father’s name as Robert Ashworth
James’ profession is ‘Factory Hand’

1850 –   BMD - Oct-Nov-Dec
Son, Eli Spencer born - Bolton

1851 –    Census
Mary Ann Spencer living with her family in Egerton with baby Eli
James Spencer lodging in Radcliffe – his profession is ‘Watchman’

1852 –   Birth Cert – Sept 27th
Son, John Spencer born, Egerton – his father’s profession is ‘Crofter’

1852 –   BMD – Oct-Nov-Dec
Son, Eli Spencer dies - Bolton

THEN

1861 –   Census
James ASHWORTH living in Radcliffe with new wife Ellen
Son, John is now called John ASHWORTH
They have a 1 yr old daughter, Betty
James’ new profession is Manufacturing Chemist

1871 –   Census
James Spencer Ashworth, Manufacturing Chemist, living in Radcliffe with new wife Mary
Several more children. All, including his wife seem to have the middle initial S (presumably Spencer).
His mother is living with them – she is called Mary ASHWORTH (without the Spencer).

1881 –   Census
James S. Ashworth, Manufacturing Chemist Master, living in Radcliffe with another new wife, Margaret. Again, whole family including wife have middle initial S for Spencer.
His son John has a family by this point - they are all called Spencer Ashworth.

1890 -   Death Certificate
Name = James Spencer Ashworth

So you see, his surname changes from Spencer to Ashworth between his first and second wives at about the time he moves from the Turton/Egerton area over to Radcliffe and marries his second wife. Could this be to cover up bigamy? I can't find the death of Mary Ann Spencer anywhere but I cannot find her in any later censuses either.

He seems to have been illegitimate as his surname was Spencer but his father's surname was Ashworth on his marriage certificate. However, when his mother is living with him in 1871, her surname is Ashworth, which doesn't make any sense. As he was born in 1832, I cannot get his birth certificate and I can't find the parish records for Turton/Edgworth - a trip to the Bolton record office may be in order.

Also his name change seems to coincide with a change in his fortunes when he goes from fairly lowly jobs to being a manufacturing chemist. His chemical works seems to have been very successful and by the time his son John (who took over the family business) died, the estate was worth the equivalent of nearly £2 million when translated into today's money.

His children, grandchildren, etc. all kept Spencer as a middle name and some relatives are still called Spencer Ashworth today - but no one seems to know why.

So there you go! Any theories as to what happened here will be very welcome! Bigamy? Illegitimacy? Maybe his father left him some money to set up his business on the condition that he changed his name to Ashworth. But could you just change your name willy-nilly in those days or would you have to do it officially?

[FAB Fiona]

Just to check something with you, on any of James' marriage certificates, was his father always Robert Ashworth and was 'dyer' his occupation?

Fiona

[Suttonrog]

I give you one explanation:

Born outside wedlock and is therefore christened Spencer with Ashworth as a middle name
Mother then married father so family name becomes Ashworth. The names Spencer and Ashworth are now interchangable.

As his wives died?? have you looked for deaths with both surnames?

Rog

[Ruskie]

Factory Hand/ Watchman/Crofter to Manufacturing Chemist seems a bit of a leap - I wonder if you are looking at two different families?

[trish1120]

Completely off the topic in a way

But if you search Freebmd for Spencer marrying Ashworth( with no first names) in Lancs. you get an unbelievably large no.

Blew me away


 Trish

[lolaclare]

Just to check something with you, on any of James' marriage certificates, was his father always Robert Ashworth and was 'dyer' his occupation?

Fiona

I only have one marriage certificate - the marriage to his first wife Mary Ann Walch. Yes, his father's name is given as Robert Ashworth and the father's occupation is Dyer. There is a word before Dyer that looks like it may be Mather?

In Radcliffe library, I found the marriage between him (now with the surname Ashworth) and his second wife in the parish register and there it again gives his father as Robert Ashworth, Dyer.

[lolaclare]

Factory Hand/ Watchman/Crofter to Manufacturing Chemist seems a bit of a leap - I wonder if you are looking at two different families?

I wondered that too. For a while I thought James Ashworth Spencer and James Spencer Ashworth might be two different people coincidentally born in about the same year in Turton.

But I went to see (his son) John Spencer Ashworth's grave a few weeks ago and he shares the same exact birth date and birth place with the John Spencer who was the son of James Ashworth Spencer and Mary Ann Spencer.

Does anyone know if any training or education was required to be a manufacturing chemist?

[lolaclare]

I give you one explanation:

Born outside wedlock and is therefore christened Spencer with Ashworth as a middle name
Mother then married father so family name becomes Ashworth. The names Spencer and Ashworth are now interchangable.

As his wives died?? have you looked for deaths with both surnames?

Rog

I guess that's a possibility. But I can't find any evidence of his mother before her appearance in the 1871 census.

Here is the 1871 household:
James Spencer Ashworth / Head / Mar / 39 / Manufacturing Chemist Employing 2 men / born Edgworth
Mary S. " / Wife / Mar / 29 /  / born Radcliffe
John S. " / Son / Unmar / 18 / Assistant Chemist / born Egerton
Betsy S. " / Daur / Unmar / 11 / Scholar / born Radcliffe
Robert S. " / Son / __ / 4 / __ / born Radcliffe
Mary S. " / Daur / __ / 1 /  / born Radcliffe
Mary " / Mother / __ / 77 /  / born Pilkington

It seems to say she's unmarried as it just has a line in that column. I can't for the life of me find a suitable Mary Spencer or Mary Ashworth in any other census who matches up with the details here.

But she's born in Pilkington so she comes from near Radcliffe, not near Turton/Edgworth.

I have just assumed that his wifes died between the censuses because Ashworth is a fairly common surname and it has been hard to identify their death records in the BMD.

[FAB Fiona]

If Robert Ashworth was a dyer, then I reckon I have the family in 1841 as follows in Tabitha Road/Row/Fold (difficult to read) and there baptisms from the Lancs OPC:

Robert Ashworth 40 Dyer
Mary                     40
Ann                       20       bapt. 6 June 1819  born 16 Mar 1819  abode Pilsworth  occ. Dyer
John                     15                29 Dec 1822        15 Oct 1822           Whitefield    Dyer
Margaret              15                22 May 1825        21 Feb 1825          Unsworth       Dyer
Martha                 13                26 Aug 1827        26 July 1827          Whitefield         Dyer
Mary                    12                  2 Aug 1829        17 May 1829          Whitefield           Dyer
James                  10                22 Apr 1832         21 Jan 1832          Whitefield          Dyer
Thomas                  6
Lewes (Lewis?)     1

Now, the baptisms were all at St Mary the Virgin, the parish church for Prestwich - a couple of miles south of Radcliffe and Whitefield is inbetween.  It does look as if the family moved around this small area a fair bit for work but were consistent about where they were baptised.  Thomas and Lewis were not baptised there although Prestwich is complete for the period.  The OPC hasn't yet got to Radcliffe yet, and there are no credible baptisms in Turton and Edgworth wasn't a parish I think.  On the IGI though there is a baptism to other parents and I wonder if Thomas and Lewis were orphaned nephews?

Also there is a marriage for Robert Ashworth and Mary Raynor both of Whitefield on 20 Mar 1818 at St Mary Prestwich, and a daughter not mentioned on census: Sarah baptised 10 June 1821, born 21 August, abode Whitefield, occupation Dyer.

There is also a baptism for Robert Ashworth to George and Sarah Ashwroth in 1795 - no other details, and an earlier marriage of George Ashworth to Sarah Isherwood.

The Spencer part of your problem is still mysterious though.  I think it is significant that it occurs only in connection with his first marriage, and may have been to do with how he met and wed Mary Ann.  I don't think swapping Ashworth for Spencer was the issue as it occurs before his later marriages.  (There is a death on freebmd for Mary Ann Ashworth in 1853 you could pursue.)  In my experience some extra names occur right out of the blue - maybe a god parent or good family friend when he was born as they don't always make it to birth and baptism records.  I wonder if he had got a job as James Spencer where he met Mary Ann, and the fib just continued - especially as their marriage is somewhat close to poor Eli's birth and they were very young.  I think it's probably something that started out innocently enough...

On the occupation front for James on the censuses, he seems to have grown his business.  He doesn't have servants or anything until later on, and then not in his home if I recall.  Nor do his neighbours who are also not wealthy at all.  I wonder if it's something he got into with his wife Ellen and her family, and he had a gift for growing the business.  It was a sound, but modest business?

I hope  that helps

Fiona