John Spedding or is it Charles Spedding?

[sjbc]

I'm hoping you helpful people can come to my aid.

I'm trying to identify the mother of my GG Grandmother Emma Fletcher, nee Spedding, born about August 1858 in Batley and the problem really comes from not being able to positively identify her father John Spedding, commercial traveller, as listed on her marriage certificate to John Fletcher, Mar 1877, when she's 18 years old.

This is what I have so far:-   

birth year 1858 fits with her age at the time of her marriage and various censuses and she's 62 years 8 months in 1921 census.  Death 7 Nov 1922

the only Emma Spedding I can find in the GRO index for 1858 Dewsbury (for Batley) lists her MMN as Skelton - DOB on birth cert is 2nd June 1858, Batley (not quite fitting with 1921 census, but ok), mother's name Jane Spedding nee Skelton.

My working assumption is that this is her mother because one of her children was named Alice Skelton Fletcher

However, here is where I run into trouble as her birth certificate lists her father as Charles Spedding, rag & flock dealer and not John Spedding.  I can find no marriages between a John Spedding and ' ' Skelton and the other Emma Speddings listed on GRO were either born '55 or '56
which doesn't tie in with the other information I have (and I know for sure that 2 of the 3 listed are not my Emma)

So, is it possible that John Spedding and Charles Spedding are one and the same or can anyone find a marriage between John Spedding and " " Skelton?  I'd be grateful for any thoughts you may have.

Thanks in advance

[emeltom]

She is in the 1861 Census as the daughter of Charles Spedding.

It could be a mistake on the part of whoever wrote the certificate. Having written John as the name of the groom it is possible that they unthinkingly wrote John as the name of the father.

[sjbc]

I agree and with all the other info  I have it would seem that Charles Spedding is the father and Jane Skelton her mother.  The only other thought I'd have is, could the occupation 'commercial traveller' be a synonym for rag & flock dealer - the first being John Spedding's occupation, the second Charles's?

[arthurk]

The family appear to be all together in Batley in 1861 (RG9/3400 fo78 p20), but I can't find them in 1871 - except for Emma in Elland-cum-Greetland, working as a servant (RG10/4403 fo18 p30, as "Amma") and I think I've found her younger sister Ada in Dewsbury Workhouse (RG10/4604 fo91 p3). This might suggest that one or both of the parents died some time between 1861 and 1871.

One scenario that occurred to me (but I'm afraid I don't have time to follow it up) is that Charles died and Jane then married someone called John, so the John on the marriage certificate would be Emma's stepfather. If he came on the scene when Emma was only 3-4 years old, say, he might be the only 'father' she remembered; the vicar might have asked for his first name and simply assumed they had the same surname.

[middlesbrough]

Huddersfield Chronicle 19 February, 1853.

On the 17th inst., at the parish church, Charles Spedding, clothier, to Miss Jane Skelton, both of this town.

[middlesbrough]

Huddersfield Chronicle 27 may 1865.

Bankrupts.
Charles Spedding and James Spedding, rag merchants, Batley, Yorkshire