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I think they moved to Eckington for work reasons ( EDIT: as was already suggested on page 1) , and probably intended staying there.

However, Margaret Jane and James had separated before 1877 when he married Ellen Hanna and was done for bigamy.

I imagine Margaret Jane had moved back to Ireland when they separated, before Margaret Catherine's birth.

ADDED:

In fact, looking back through this thread, I see that you said that on Margaret C's birth cert it says James was living in Liverpool, and Margaret in Irvinestown.

It's been bugging me why two of the children of James Brock and Margaret Jane Graham were born in Worcestershire and all the others were born in Ireland.
Henrietta in 1861 in Meath
Lucy Jane 1864 in Galway
Anna Isabella 1866 in Irvinestown, Fermanagh
James Irving 1868 in Kildare
Mary Elizabeth 1871 in Eckington, Worcester
Sidney Herbert 1871 in Eckington, Worcester
Margaret Catherine 1873 in Irvinestown, Fermanagh

It bugged me so much that I wondered if they were actually children of James and Margaret Jane, so I sent for their birth certificates. Yes, they are children of James and Margaret Jane and they are twins - Mary Elizabeth born at 4.15 a.m. and Sidney Herbert born at 4.30 a.m. I still don't know why they were born in England and all the others in Ireland, but at least I know they belong.

Just thought I'd share this with you helpful people.

I think you're right AQ ... I don't know where I got that 1869 date from. If Henrietta was born say 1861 do you think it's likely there was another child before her. It seems a while to go after the marriage before the first child. Maybe one that died??

Civil registration for Irish births didn't start until 1864.

James and Margaret married in 1858 so I would assume they had children born before 1864.

Although useful, the ages on census records cannot be taken as accurate. It is possible that Henrietta was born before official registration began.

On the 1871 census Henrietta is recorded as age 9. Later census make her a little younger- It was quite common for women to shave a few years of their age as they got older.
----------------------------

Going by the ages of the other children I think it's likely Henrietta was born before 1864:

Henrietta Brock
Lucy Jane Brock 1864
Anne Isabella Brock 1866
James Irvine Brock 1868
Mary Elizabeth Brock 1871
Sidney Herbert Brock 1871
Margaret Catherine Brock 1873

Just looked back over the whole of this thread and Austin had posted the 1871 census entry, which states that Henrietta was born in Meath. Maybe this is why we can't find her.

Thanks AG, I can't find her birth or baptism anywhere, even with the new birth date. Strange.

No help with Henrietta - but son Edward's birth:

SR District/Reg Area - Omagh
Birth of EDWARD NIXON in 1888
Name EDWARD NIXON
Date of Birth 1888
Group Registration ID 11008259
SR District/Reg Area Omagh

Edward John Nixon, 4th July 1888.
Parents John Nixon, baker, and Henrietta Nixon, formerly Brock

I don't see her birth / baptism anywhere.

Thanks AG. For some reason I had her born about 1868/9 - no idea why. I'll try again.

For her age:

Henrietta Nixon
in the Web: Ireland, Census, 1901
Name: Henrietta Nixon
Gender: Female
Age: 37
Birth Year: abt 1864
Relation to Head: Wife
Residence Date: 31 Mar 1901
Townland/Street: Cara Street
District: Clones Urban
County: Monaghan
Household Members:
Name Age
John Nixon 35 - baker
Henrietta Nixon 37 - born Meath
Edward J Nixon 12


Henrietta Nixon
in the Web: Ireland, Census, 1911
Name: Henrietta Nixon
Gender: Female
Age: 45
Birth Year: abt 1866
Relation to Head: Wife
Residence Date: 2 Apr 1911
Townland/Street: Cara
District: Clones Urban
County: Monaghan
Household Members:
Name Age
John Nixon 45
Henrietta Nixon 45 - born Meath
Edward Nixon 22
John Gibson 76 - boarder
David Lemon 28 - boarder
William Shinner 34 - boarder

The marriage, just for the record:


SR District/Reg Area - Omagh
Marriage of JOHN NIXON and HENRIETTA BROCK
on 28 May 1887

Party 1 Name JOHN NIXON
Party 2 Name HENRIETTA BROCK
Date of Event 28 May 1887
Group Registration ID 2411234
SR District/Reg Area Omagh

John's a bachelor, and a baker.
Henrietta's a spinster.
Both residing in Omagh.
Both "full age".
His father: John Nixon, pensioner.
Her father: James Brock, gamekeeper.

This thread started as a query on James Irving Brock but became a thread about the whole family, so I'm continuing here. Earlier in the thread Austin mentioned that there was another daughter, Henrietta, who married John Nixon in 1887 in Omagh. I've tried to find a birth for Henrietta but had no success, though I have births for all the other children. Any suggestions?

He was actually born in Ayrshire, and records do say that, until his dismissal from the Yorkshire police.
After that, he says he was born in Rufford.

Perhaps he was trying to avoid identification, or trying to make a fresh start (uncuccessfully, as it turned out), or perhaps he felt he belonged to Rufford more than to Ayrshire. After all, he left Scotland somewhere between 1831 and 1833, going by recorded births of his siblings, when he would only have been 4-6

Thanks for all this. I'm still trying to sort it all out and it's very confusing when birth dates vary from 1827 to 1835 and birth places are shown as Scotland or Nottinghamshire.

As you say AG he was quite a lad.

Excellent, safc - his father's occupation confirms James was the son of James & Isabella of Rufford


Quite a lad - three wives, presumably two of them bigamous, plus some unspecified "disgraceful conduct" !

When Anne Isabella called her mother a widow on the death cert in 1883, it must have been for respectability, to save having to say that her parents were separated.
They'd probably lost touch with James in any case, and wouldn't know if he was alive or dead.

First name(s) Ellen
Last name Hanna
Age 27
Birth year 1850
Residence Sheffield
Marriage year 1877
Marriage date 09 Aug 1877
Marriage place Sheffield, Cathedral Church of St Peter & St Paul
Spouse's first name(s) James
Spouse's last name Brook
Spouse's age 46
Spouse's residence Sheffield
Father's first name(s) James
Father's last name Hanna
Spouse's father's first name(s) James
Spouse's father's last name Brook
County Yorkshire (West Riding)
Country England
Archive reference PR-138-3-103
Page 45


james is a gamekeeper

his father is a park keeper

It wouldn't surprise me if James and Margaret had separated, given his history, Although in 1873 it must have been very recent - during the time that Margaret was expecting daughter Margaret.

AQ posted the 1891 and 1901 for James, living in Adderbury.

Here he is in 1911 (widower, formerly farmer):


James Brock
in the 1911 England Census
Name: James Brock
Age in 1911: 89
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1822
Relation to Head: Inmate
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Rufford Abbey, Nottinghamshire
Civil Parish: St Clement and St Giles
County/Island: Oxfordshire
Country: England
Street address: Oxford Incorporation Workhouse Cowley Road Oxford
Occupation: Formerly Painter ["formerly farmer" on image ]
Registration district: Headington
Registration District Number: 152
Sub-registration district: St Clement
ED, institution, or vessel: 33-38
Piece: 8141



This seems the most likely death record, although the age is a few years out;

Deaths Sep 1917 (>99%)
Brock James 82 Wycombe 3a 786

I have a copy of the birth and marriage certificate for Margaret Catherine Brock (daughter of James Edwin Brock & Margaret Jane Graham, and sister of James Irving Brock). I just had a look at them to see if I could get any clues. On the birth certificate it gives name and dwelling place of father as James Brock, Liverpool, and name and residence of informant as Mary Ann Graham, Irvinestown (I'm guessing sister to Margaret Jane). Interesting that James was living in Liverpool - were they separated - this was 1873 and he married his second wife in 1877.
On the marriage certificate of Margaret Catherine she is shown living at 2 Sedan Ave., Omagh, and father shown as James Edwin Brock - it doesn't say he was deceased but I don't know if Irish certificates do state that. She was only 15 too!!

Well, assuming the Rufford James Brock (son of James and Isabella) is your James Edwin - he had another wife before Margaret:

James Brock
in the 1851 England Census
Name: James Brock
Age: 24
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1827
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Elizabeth Brock
Gender: Male
Where born: Aryshire, Scotland <<<<<<<<<<
Civil Parish: Edwinstowe
Phillimore Ecclesiastical Parish Maps:
View related Ecclesiastical Parish
Town: Edwinstowe
County/Island: Nottinghamshire
Country: England
Registration district: Southwell
Sub-registration district: Kneesal
ED, institution, or vessel: 5b
Neighbors:
Household schedule number: 86
Piece: 2135
Folio: 105
Page Number: 28
Household Members:
Name Age
James Brock 24 - gamekeeper
Elizabeth Brock 26
Charles Edwin Brock 4
Francis Brock 11 Mo

I don't see him with Elizabeth after 1851 - so maybe he was away to Ireland and Margaret ???

Marriage:

Elizabeth Wood
in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915
Name: Elizabeth Wood
Registration Year: 1846
Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration district: Southwell
Inferred County: Nottinghamshire
Volume: 15
Page: 847
Records on Page:
Name
James Brock
Elizabeth Wood



Son Charles Edwin was born 1847 in Southwell reg district, mms Wood, and sadly he died there in 1854.
[NOTE middle name Edwin ]

I think this must be "Francis":

BROCK, FREDERICK MANTON mms WOOD
GRO Reference: 1849 J Quarter in SOUTHWELL Volume 15 Page 714

But he was christened Francis - and James has middle name Manton on this record:

Francis Brock
in the England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Name: Francis Brock
Gender: Male
Baptism Date: 7 May 1850
Baptism Place: Edwinstowe,Nottingham,England
Father: James Manton Brock
Mother: Elizth
FHL Film Number: 432130

Francis is with his grandparents James & Isabella in 1861, while Elizabeth is on her own in 1861, listed as an unmarried lodger (dressmaker) in Hulme, Chorlton, Lancs. No sign of James.

In 1871 Elizabeth and Francis are together in Ardwick. She's listed as married, but there's no sign of James.

In 1881, she's a married housekeeper, still with Francis, at 7 Ardwick Terrace, Chorlton.

In 1891 she's still in Ardwick, at 7 Ardwick Terrace. now listed as a widow, with Francis, who is now married to Louisa, and has a daughter Lilly.

They're all still together in Ardwick in 1901. Elizabeth listed as widow.

Elizabeth's death:

Deaths Sep 1905 (>99%)
BROCK Elizabeth 80 Chorlton 8c 466


Francis and family are still at 7 Ardwick Terrace in 1911.

No sign of James with them after 1851. Suspicious, or what?


EDIT:

There's this - he applied to join the police in 1856:

James Brock
in the West Yorkshire, England, Police Records, 1833-1914
Name: James Brock
Age: 28
Birth Date: abt 1828
Birth Place: Ayr, Ayrshire
Event Date: 6 Dec 1856
Event Place: West Riding, England
Reference: WYP1/A139/1
Force: West Riding Constabulary
Year Range or Title: 1856-1857 Examination Book

James Brock, age 28, 5ft 8.25ins, fresh complexion, dark blue eyes, brown hair, born at Cleyne Castle, Ayr. [ That must mean Culzean Castle ]
Gamekeeper; can both read and write.
**** Single, no children ***
Residence: Lincoln.
Last employed by the Earl of Scarborough, at Rufford.
Had never been in the police service before.

However, he was discharged from the police on 18 Feb, 1857 for "disgraceful conduct".


So then he pops up in Ireland in 1858, when he married Margaret ?

As I said, I don't have access to the original article. What's there is pieced together from the free search using either BNA or FMP.

Just put "Irish game keeper" in quotation marks in the keyword search and filter by year (1877). Two articles come up, one on the 23rd October and another for the 27th October.