I am trying to find a link between William Bates the coach builder and father of Josephine Bates on one side and Benjamin William Bates line on the other. Benjamin's grandfather William Bates was a farmer. This may help to understand why Benjamin, after going to South Africa, marrying there and having a child, leaves and goes back to Ireland, finds Josephine Bates and marries her after such a long time. I am presuming that he may have gone back to his childhood sweetheart? He may have known or have been connected to Josephine Bates in some way? Benjamin and Josephine were only 2 yrs different in age. Has anyone researched the Bates family of Gorey Wexford before, there seems to have been something done on the coach builder side but, when I had left a post in 2017 there was no response.