Find Ancestors

Can anyone help. William Spencer is a common name and I am fairly stuck with where to go researching him.

Ok So I know - I have the birth certificate of his son Thomas Henry Spencer - 4 Sep 1857 • Wellington Street, Leeds, City and Borough of Leeds, England, United Kingdom
Father - William Spencer, Mother - Jane Marriott, Fathers occupation - Overlooker of Stuff Weavers.

I can find a marriage cert for a William Spencer to a Jane Marriott - 22/03/1857. He is age 25 - abt 1832, Job - Overlooker, Living - Bradford, Dad James Spencer - a Mason.

I think this is him on the census returns? -
1861 - 3 Lucknow (Maybe Lucknew) Street -
- William Spencer Head Married Male 28 1833 Overlooker At Woollen Mill Windhill, Yorkshire, England
- Jane Spencer Wife Married Female 32 1829 Dressmaker Mirfield, Yorkshire, England
- Thomas Harry Spencer Son Unmarried Male 2 1859 - Yorkshire, England
- Maria Elizabeth Spencer Daughter Unmarried Female 1 1860 - Yorkshire, England

1871 - Leeds Road -
- William Spencer Head - Male 38 1833 - Yorkshire, England
- Jane Spencer Wife - Female 42 1829 - Yorkshire, England
- Thomas H Spencer Son - Male 13 1858 - Yorkshire, England
- Maria E Spencer Daughter - Female 11 1860 - Yorkshire, England
- Lydia S Spencer Daughter - Female 4 1867 - Yorkshire, England
- James Robimett Boarder - Male 22 1849 - Lincolnshire, England
- Charles Robimett Boarder - Male 21 1850 - Lincolnshire, England

1881 - 10 Dock Fields
- William Spencer Head Married Male 48 1833 Greaser Worsted Mill Yorkshire, England
- Jane Spencer Wife Married Female 50 1831 - Moarfield, Leicestershire, England
- Lydia S Spencer Daughter Single Female 15 1866 Operative Worsted Mill Yorkshire, England

1891 - 5 Dock Field
- William Spencer Head Married Male 59 1832 Mill Oiler Windhill, Yorkshire, England
- Jane Spencer Wife Married Female 64 1827 - Mirfield, Yorkshire, England
- Lydia S R Spencer Daughter Single Female 25 1866 Stuff Weaver Leeds, Yorkshire, England
- Nellie M Spencer Granddaughter - Female 2 1889 - Windhill, Yorkshire, England

Any help to narrow down move forwards would be great. I can find various options for parents but none with James Spencer as a Mason. There are trees on Ancestry that link to him but have no records attached. A possible link on the 1851 census in Windhill which would make sense but I cannot exclude other possibilities. Maybe I am overthinking this so I thought I would seek your advice.
Thanks.

If you look at the image of the 1851, you will see that James Spencer (head) is a Woolcomber.

He is still in the Woollen industry in 1861

However, you do have the correct marriage, and the correct censuses, so "Mason" must be a mistake on the part of the registrar.

Births of the daughters Maria Elizabeth and Lydia as proof of correct censuses:

SPENCER, MARIA ELIZABETH mms MARRIOT
GRO Reference: 1859 S Quarter in BRADFORD AND NORTH BIERLEY YORKSHIRE Volume 09B Page 161

SPENCER, LYDIA SARAH ANN mms MARRIOTT
GRO Reference: 1866 J Quarter in KIRKSTALL Volume 09B Page 253

The father, JAMES was recorded as a mason on the 1857 marriage cert

????

Baptism entry While we have made all efforts to correctly record the information in the original document there may be different interpretations of the written words. If you have access to the original document and believe we have made a mistake you are encouraged to report this to us. Report an Error in this Data Field
(only fields with a value are shown) Value
County Yorkshire, West Riding
Place Heptonstall
Church name St Thomas
Register type Parish Register
Register entry number 1311
Birth date 05 Jan 1831
Baptism date 18 May 1831
Person forename William Dearden
Person sex M
Father forename James
Mother forename Mary
Father surname SPENCER
Person abode Kingstreet, Stansfield
Father occupation Cotton spinner
Transcribed by Kate Hodgson
File line number 652

Great thanks its really the information pre 1857 that I am struggling to piece together and I need to have another look for the death as I got side tracked looking at their children and then trawling pre1857.

from family search

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NJ2H-D22

What was the occupation of the father of Jane Marriott? Is that correct on the marriage certificate vs censuses??

It is not unknown for the vicar to write the wrong occupation down by getting them mixed up.


EDIT:-

probably no mix up in this case ................

West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935

Name: Jane Merriott
Marriage Age: 27
Event Type: Marriage
Birth Year: abt 1830
Marriage Date: 22 Mar 1857
Marriage Place: Bradford, St Peter (Bradford Cathedral), Yorkshire, England
Parish as it Appears: Bradford, St Peter (Bradford Cathedral)
Search Photos: Search for 'Bradford, St Peter (Bradford Cathedral)' in the UK City, Town and Village Photos collection
Father: John Merriott <<<<<<<<<<<<< Mechanic
Spouse: William Spencer

Mistakes do happen.
There's also a mistake in the marriage record of James & Jane's daughter Mary (William's sister).
James is named as Thomas, and the surname is given as Spence.


Mary Spencer
in the 1851 England Census
Name: Mary Spencer
Age: 16
Estimated birth year: abt 1835
Relation: Daughter
Father's name: James Spencer
Mother's name: Jane Spencer
Gender: Female
Where born: Idle, Yorkshire, England
Civil Parish: Idle
Phillimore Ecclesiastical Parish Maps:
View related Ecclesiastical Parish
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England
Street address:
Occupation:
Condition as to marriage:
Disability:
View image
Registration district: Bradford
Sub-registration district: Shipley
ED, institution, or vessel: 2f
Neighbors:
Household schedule number: 112
Piece: 2312
Folio: 320
Page Number: 30
Household Members:
Name Age
James Spencer 47
Jane Spencer 51
William Spencer 19
Mary Spencer 16
Sarah A Spencer 14
Nancy Spencer 12
Joseph Bamforth 5
Edward Patk 19



Mary Spence
in the West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935
Name: Mary Spence
Marriage Age: 18
Event Type: Marriage
Birth Year: abt 1835
Marriage Date: 8 Feb 1853
Marriage Place: Bradford, St Peter (Bradford Cathedral), Yorkshire, England
Parish as it Appears: Bradford, St Peter (Bradford Cathedral)
Father: THOMAS Spence , comber <<<<<<<<<< ??
Spouse: William Rayner , joiner


Mary Rayner
in the 1861 England Census
Name: Mary Rayner
Age: 26
Estimated birth year: 1835
Relation: Wife
Spouse's name: William Rayner
Gender: Female
Where born: Idle, Yorkshire, England
Civil Parish: Idle
Ecclesiastical parish: Idle
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England
Street address:
Occupation:
Condition as to marriage:
View image
Registration district: Bradford
Sub-registration district: Idle
ED, institution, or vessel: 9
Neighbors:
Household schedule number: 13
Piece: 3343
Folio: 40
Page Number: 2
Household Members:
Name Age
William Rayner 30, joiner
Mary Rayner 26


Mary Raynor
in the 1871 England Census
Name: Mary Raynor
[Mary Spencer]
Age: 36
Estimated birth year: 1835
Relation: Daughter
Gender: Female
Where born: Idle Yorkshire England
Civil Parish: Idle
Ecclesiastical parish: Christchurch
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England
Registration district: Bradford
Sub-registration district: Idle
ED, institution, or vessel: 10
Household schedule number: 161
Piece: 4502
Folio: 50
Page Number: 29
Household Members:
Name Age
James Spencer 67
Jane Spencer 71
Mary Raynor 36
Albert Raynor 17 [ Albert was with James & Jane in 1861 ]
Sarah J Raynor 9


In 1861 William and Mary are at 14 Briggate, and the Spencers are at 10 Briggate.

James Spence
in the West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935
Name: James Spence - woolcomber
Event Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 1 May 1831
Marriage Place: Calverley, St Wilfrid, Yorkshire, England
Parish as it Appears: Calverley, St Wilfrid
Spouse: Jane West


SPENCER, NANCY mms WEST
GRO Reference: 1838 S Quarter in BRADFORD UNION WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE Volume 23 Page 165


(Nancy as in 1851 census above )

In the 1851 census ArgyllGran posted the address is Windhill, Idle. In the census you posted the birth place is Windhill, Idle

in 1861 in Idle

James Spencer 56
Jane Spencer 61
Sarah Ann Spencer 25
Nancy Spencer 22 mmn = West
Albert Rayner 7 - grandson mmn = Spence (GRO index)

Hi,
Thanks everyone. Lots to get my teeth into here. I guess as you guys haven't found anything else apart from the bits I had looked at and thought probable I will put the marriage down to an error and take the James Spencer and Jane West as the probable parents with the information available. I am not sure where the baptisms would be to try looking at those.West Yorkshire's are usually fairly easy to find online but not showing anything that looks similar at the mo.