That, in itself would not confuse me. My wife's parents divorced, but not before her father's father and her mother's mother, both previously widowed, married each other and took over as de facto parents of my wife. They did the same for grandchildren by other parents also. Consequently my wife grew up believing her cousins to be her siblings.
To make things more confusing (if having parents who were by now step-siblings was not confusing enough) her mother now married again and produced a boy, who was over twenty years younger than my wife. When her mother died, which she did when the boys was still four years old, my wife took him on. She was already married and her own daughters considered the boy to be their brother.
So, my wife's mother's father-in-law became her step-father. My wife's father's mother-in-law became his step-mother. My wife's mother also became her step-aunt and likewise her father cecame her step-uncle - if such things are recognised! My wife's brother was brought up as her son, who was brother to the girls whose great-grandmother was his own grandmother. The person he regarded as his great-grandfather, was, in fact, no relation at all, since he and my wife were only half-siblings. However, his sisters who were actually his nieces, were related to both great-grandparents. You really do need a clear head for this...
The Armstrongs do not have a gap in my mind. Geoff relates the story of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, all of whom lived and worked in this very road, but at different points along it. Geoff's grandfather owned and occupied the site that Geoff now owns and occupies. However, in common with something over 90% of the population of Cudworth, their forebears came from elsewhere becuase they arrived here to work in the newly opened deep mines - of which there were at least six within walking distance. A good many had come from the Staffordshire and Derbyshire areas. Before 1850 the population of this township was a mere 550 people. By 1900 it was approaching 10,000.
