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Thanks Austin ... just on my way out but will check those two records when I get back.

??? This would make a nonsense of some of those census records - but would fit with Margaret Jane being a widow when she died in 1883.
Perhaps the sons were from his first marriage, and Margaret was the second (bigamous?) wife.

James Brock
in the England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, 1973-1995
Name: James Brock
Death Date: 2 Apr 1876
Death Place: Nottingham, England
Probate Date: 11 May 1876
Registry: Nottingham, England

BROCK, James.
11 May 1876.
The Will of James Brock, late of Rufford Park Lodge near Ollerton in the County of Nottingham, Park-keeper and Gamekeeper who died 2nd April 1876 at Ruffington Park Lodge was proved at Nottingham by Frederick Edward Brock of Normanton-on-Soar in the said County, Gamekeeper, and John Thomas Brock of Eakring in the said County, Joiner, the Sons two of the Executors.
Effects: under £3000.


EDIT:

But no - following that up -
this is Frederick in 1871 - far too old to be your James Edwin's son:

Frederick E Brock
in the 1871 England Census
Name: Frederick E Brock
Age: 54
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1817
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Mary Ann Brock
Gender: Male
Where born: Wallington, Norfolk, England
Civil Parish: Rufford
Town: Rufford
County/Island: Nottinghamshire
Country: England
Registration district: Southwell
Sub-registration district: Kneesal
ED, institution, or vessel: 7
Household schedule number: 23
Piece: 3536
Folio: 22
Page Number: 6
Household Members:
Name Age
Frederick E Brock 54 - gamekeeper
Mary Ann Brock 50
Lucy Brock 20
Arthur Brock 18
Edwin Brock 14
Eliza Brock 13
Elizabeth Ward Brock 10
William J Brock 9
Ellen Brock 7

Perhaps your James Edwin is a son of that James who died in 1876 ??

(And perhaps you already know all this ??)


James Brock
in the 1841 England Census
Name: James Brock
Age: 15
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1826
Gender: Male
Where born: Scotland
Civil Parish: Rufford(Liberty)
Hundred: Bassetlaw (Hatfield Division)
County/Island: Nottinghamshire
Country: England
Registration district: Southwell
Sub-registration district: Kneesal
Neighbors:
Piece: 851
Book: 5
Folio: 8
Page Number: 10
Household Members:
Name Age
James Brock 40 - Park keeper - not born in county
Frederick Brock 20 - gamekeeper, not born in county
James Brock 15 - born Scotland <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Charles Brock 10 - Scotland
Francis Brock 8 - Scotland
John Brock 2 - Nottinghamshire
Isabella Brock 40 - not born in Notts.
Mary Brock 20 - Scotland
Isabella Brock 15 - Scotland
Hannah Brock 15 - Scotland
Elizabeth Brock 10 - Scotland
Benjaman Brock 10 - Scotland

James (son) isn't with the family in 1851

Frances Brock [ Francis ]
in the 1851 England Census
Name: Frances Brock
Age: 18
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1833
Relation: Son
Father's name: James Brock
Mother's name: Isabella Brock
Gender: Male
Where born: Rufford, Nottinghamshire, England
Civil Parish: Rufford
Phillimore Ecclesiastical Parish Maps:
View related Ecclesiastical Parish
County/Island: Nottinghamshire
Country: England
Registration district: Southwell
Sub-registration district: Kneesal
ED, institution, or vessel: 3
Neighbors:
Household schedule number: 12
Piece: 2135
Folio: 41
Page Number: 7
Household Members:
Name Age
James Brock 50 - Somesfield, Notts - park and game keeper
Isabella Brock 50 - Haggerston, Northumberland
Charles Brock 20 - Kirkoswald, Ayrshire
Frances Brock 18
John Brock 13 - Kirkoswald
Isabella Cartlidge 27 - daughter, Kirkoswald
Elizth Brock 20 - Kirkoswald
Chas Cartlidge 39 - son-in-law, Wellon [?], Notts
Mary L N 19 - servant
Isac Charnes 37 - servant

Birth:

BROCK
JAMES
JAMES BROCK/ISABELLA EMBLETON FR444 (FR444)
M
14/05/1827
601/
30 42
Kirkoswald


But no middle name.

Thanks ArgyllGran, that's a lot of info so I'll have to look at it more closely.

As to the two references that Austin gave, I've had a look at both of them and things do get more interesting.
One of the references just says that he was charged and convicted of bigamy and sentenced to 12 months.

The second one was a bit more forthcoming and gave more detail. It gave his name, and under his name it said - Liverpool Borough Prison, 30 September 1876, stealing wearing apparel. On remand and discharged. The next column gave his age as 47, trade as none, it gives dates of the warrant and when he was received into custody and then a description of the offence as charged, which reads as - Having at Sheffield on 9 August 1877 feloniously married Ellen Hanna, his former wife being alive.

I checked on freeBMD for the marriage to Ellen and sure enough, he married her in Sheffield in 1877.

Seems he was quite a character.

Since he married Ellen Hanna in 1877 I thought he should show up in the 1881 census but I couldn't find any sign of him or Ellen or Margaret Jane.

Just been going through the info from ArgyllGran. If my James Edwin was the bigamist then he can't be the same James who died in 1876, since he married his second wife in 1877, so is my James Edwin the son of the James who died in 1876 as ArgyllGran suggested - I don't know. On a marriage record for my James and Margaret Jane his father was shown as James, so could be.

Interesting.

AG- nice find. I think that is the father of our James. Maybe our James had already moved to Ireland for work by 1851, so wasn't with his family?

There is an article in 1877 which refers to the bigamy case- again, I don't have access but have tried to piece it together:

"On Monday, at the Liverpool Police Court, an elderly man named Jas. H. Brock, Irish game keeper, was charged with having committed bigamy at Sheffield. The prisoner was married in 1858 to his first wife Margaret Jane, and in August last while she was alive he again went through the form of marriage, at Sheffield, with Ellen Hannah. The magistrate remanded him for a week."

27 October 1877 - Sheffield Independent - Sheffield, Yorkshire, England

How did you find this article, I can't seem to find it. It definitely confirms that it's our James though. I guess he was then sentenced to 12 months.

As to the info from AG I'm still trying to sort it out but she could be onto something.

Wish they didn't all move around so much.

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.

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 ?

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!!

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

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

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.

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.

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

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?

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.