Calling Genealogy experts - this one has got me baffled

[Mabel Bagshawe]

Any Hargreaves witnesses to the marriage who might help narrow down his family?

[heywood]

If I have the correct one in 1939, it would seem to be the Herbert Hargreaves who married Rachel Snaith in 1910 in Bury - Register Office /Registrar attended.

The couple had several children and can be seen in the 1921 index.

This looks like him in 1911 - although birth year is out slightly

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWB7-5VL

Vickihuk, in case you have not used Family Search, you need to sign in but it is free.

[Dundee]

I then did research on the 1881 census and found information on a whole family from the same area, with William and Alice Hargreaves listed as their parents. On the 1891 census - Herbert appears as a 6 year old boy!

Who is this Herbert living with in 1891?

Debra 

[Vickihuk]

What was the name of Herbert's mother according to his birth certificate?

Hi, his Mother was Alice Hargreaves - no former name.  I know this is the correct birth certificate as the DOB matches exactly to the correct information on the 1939 register

[Vickihuk]

Welcome to Rootschat.
Could you have the wrong family in the census?
Here is ‘Herb’ Hargreaves in 1891 with parents George and Sarah and several siblings.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QBKB-NW2
Herbert and Ernest both show as 5 yrs

Ancestry have the family as Hargraves and they live in Rochdale.
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ show the mother as Greenwood.
There is a Herbert Whitehead Hargreaves b 1885 with mother’s name Greenwood.

I am not beginning to think this is the case. However, that still doesn't explain why Herbert didn;t have a father on his birth certificate, but he did "William" on his marriage cert to his wife.  Was it common to lie?

[Vickihuk]

There is a Herbert Whitehead Hargreaves born in 1885 who died in Rochdale age 36 in 1921 but the OP had them alive in 1939?

Thank you for your reply - unfortunately, this is not him as I know he was still alive when my Dad was born - I think I found his death certificate and that was 1958

[Vickihuk]

Was your Herbert b Bury, Lancashire - 1885 with no mother’s maiden name GRO

Yes that is definitely him! Correct date of birth, and place

[Vickihuk]

There's also a Herbert Hargreaves b c1884 who died in Bury in 1892

Slightly worryingly there's a career criminal b Bury c1886 who has a number of aliases including Herbert Hargreaves

That would have been exciting wouldn't it - but no, that his not him. He was around in the 50's.

[Vickihuk]

Any Hargreaves witnesses to the marriage who might help narrow down his family?

What a great shout. I have just checked and one of the witnesses was signed "the mark of Alice Howard". Now, the informant on his birth certificate was signed "the mark of Alice Hargreaves, mother" - could this be the same Alice, now married??!!