Find Ancestors

Moira .................

the marriage certificate should give his age, not the year he was born ..........

If he was born in 1846, and married in 1864, he was only 18, and therefore under-age (21 being legal age). He would thus have required parental permission to get married.

Therefore he lied about his age ..... if he said that he was 22, that equates to a birth year of 1842.

Not at all unusual.

I should believe the death report!

Then ............... there is the question of whether father was actually still alive in 1851 or 1861, or whether he even existed.

what was his father's occupation on the marriage certificate??

I cannot read the occupation on the marriage cert for the father. On the Coroners report for Richard, the person who identified the body states, "I am Thomas Smith from Bacup and I am his brother, I saw the bodypf Richard Smith at 1 oclock yesterday at Swaithe pit, he was 29 years old."

it's his father's occupation that might help in identifying the family in 1851 or 1861

Sheffield Daily Telegraph - Friday 10 December 1875

THE SWAITHE MAIN EXPLOSION

"...Thomas Smith said 'I live at Bacup, I am a moulder. I identify my brother, Richard Smith, 29 years of age. He was driving a drift. I last saw him alive about six months ago. His body was rescued yesterday morning. He lived in the Chapel- Yard, Worsborough Dale. He was in a club. He is married and has three children..."

Marriage for Richard and Emma is on FMP:

Richard is listed as 22, Puddler- residence Duke Street,
His father is listed as Thomas Smith, Mason

Emma is listed as 19, residence Broad Street
Her father is listed as William Litchfield, Millwright

Thank you AustinQ I couldn't make out Thomas's occupation although I managed William's

:-)