1891 Census - Rigby

[cavegirl]

Dear all

This is my first post here, what a lovely site!

I'm reasonably new to family tree research - have been doing my tree for just over 18 months now. 

I wonder if it would be possible to request a census look up - as I am having great difficulty trying to trace some ancestors of mine. 

My Great Great Grandmother was Eliza Rigby, born in Hindley in 1864.  I have her on the 1881 census as living at 11 Lowe Mill Lane, Hindley aged 17 and on the 1901 census as living at 13 Macclesfield Street, Hindley aged 27.

By the time of the 1901 census she was an unmarried mother to 3 children - Ann born 1884, James born 1887 and William born 1890. 

They all took her surname of Rigby. 

It's a long and intriguing story about what happened to the children's father. 

However, that aside I simply cannot find her or her children on the 1891 census at all - I've tried everything.  Would it be possible for someone to help me out with this.  I would be very grateful.

Thank you in anticipation, and keep up the good work with the site, it's brilliant.

Kath

[Aulus]

Welcome to Rootschat!

Still looking for 1891, but is this her on the 1871?

RG10/3890 folio 137 page 18

parents William & Catherine
siblings Ann, Charles, William, John

[Aulus]

The father wasn't called Thomas Myatt was he?

There's this family living in Ince on the 1891 census, RG12/3062; Folio 119; Page 12

Thomas Myatt, head, married, age 27, coal miner, born Ince, Lancashire
Eliza Myatt, wife, married, age 27, born Hindley, Lancashire
Ann Myatt, daughter, age 7, scholar, born Hindley, Lancashire
James Myatt, son, age 5, born Hindley, Lancashire
William Myatt, son, age 8 months, born Hindley, Lancashire

[Aulus]

. 

My Great Great Grandmother was Eliza Rigby, born in Hindley in 1864.  I have her on the 1881 census as living at 11 Lowe Mill Lane, Hindley aged 17 

The only Eliza Rigby born and living in Hindley that I can see on the 1881 census is living at 9 Brook Street, Lowe Mill Lane, age 17, working in the Card Room at a cotton mill.
Living with her widowed mother Catherine, age 52, charwoman and siblings William (age 14) and John (age 13), together with a widowed lodger, Sam Barnell (age 52).

[cavegirl]

I just want to thank you for the work you've done so far.  You were right regarding the census information btw - I was trying to do it from memory without my census returns in front of me - so I'm very sorry if I confused matters.

I'm going to go and check out the Myatt connection now - up until the last week we believed the children's father's name was Finch, but it's all a bit up in the air now as we found out some other stuff pertaining to the Finch family which makes everything go pear shaped!

I'll check back and let you know what's happened - but thank you so much for your time on this, it's so much appreciated...

Thank you

Kath

[Aulus]

Of course calling Eliza the wife of Thomas Myatt might be an elaboration of the truth!  And he might not be their father either.

I've had a quick look and can't find a marriage of a Thomas Myatt to an Eliza.  Doesn't mean to say it's not there somewhere, though.

Leaving aside Thomas, the names and ages fit perfectly, which made me wonder if they might be yours.  It could just be coincidence, but four people in the same household would seem a big coincidence!

Have you got any of the birth certificates of the children?  Do they show the father?

There's an Eliza Rigby marrying either a Benedict James Armstrong or a Ralph Finch in 1901 (Jul-Aug-Sept qtr, Wigan, vol 8c, p151.)

[cavegirl]

Hey  thanks again!

I found a marriage between an Eliza Rigby and a Thomas Myatt in Bolton in1895, so that could well be them.

However, I know for a fact that she did also marry Ralph Finch in 1901 as we believe that he is that father of at least two of her children.  I have the birth certifcate for James Rigby as he is my Great Grandfather and where the father's name should be it is struck through.  Finding the other certificates has been more difficult as there are quite a few Ann and William Rigbys in Hindley/Wigan and I can't afford to buy all of them to find out which is the right one!!

However, we did have it on reasonably good authority that Ralph Finch was the father of at least Ann and James. 

Ralph was also remarried in the intervening period - to another woman and had children with her, but none survived. But his first wife was still alive when he married Eliza in 1901, so unless they were divorced it looks like he was married to two women at the same time...

Thank you again for getting back to me, you've been really kind!

Kath