Well, I didn't expect to see that on the census.

[Stanwix England]

Tonight I've been looking at some first cousins of a person I'm researching. I think it's nice to find out what happened to their cousins, especially if they lived close together and were likely affected by each other's lives. 

Anyway, I was looking at them on the 1911 census, and it says they are married but living with a mistress. She is 20 years younger than him and has three children. Someone has gone over the record later and scrubbed out the word 'mistress', and overwritten 'boarder' but it's still visible.

I double checked and his wife is living in a different area about three miles away.

Obviously, I knew that sort of thing went on back then. I've found lots of illegitimacy and broken relationships in my tree so far. But I've never seen it written out in black and white like that.

Screen shot was too big to attach, here is the reference if anyone wants to see.

Registration District Number 514 Sub-registration district Goole ED, institution, or vessel 06 Piece 28281

[Erato]

Here's sort of the opposite situation.  J.F. is first recorded as a lodger in the home of Mary Ware but that's crossed out and he is called a 'relative.'  In fact, J.F. was her husband.  He was a seemingly respectable lawyer and a state senator in Wisconsin.  He disappeared for 20 years and Mary had been calling herself a widow but then he showed up again in 1930.  Mary was apparently willing to take him in but there were limits.  She also knocked a few years off her true age.

[JohninSussex]

In the 1911 census you are looking at the form filled in by the head of household, presumably your man himself (depending on whose signature is at the end of the page).   If so, he has chosen to use that description and the official processing the form has sanitized the entry to fit the available choices.

[Stanwix England]

I don't blame her @Erato! I'd have been mightily cheesed off too!

I think you are right @Johnisussex, which is why I was a bit surprised.

[Libby56]

I've come across this situation a couple of times but the word has always been lodger.
My 3xgreat grandfather was widowed at 63, in the following census he's 68, he's got a lodger, Female widowed age 65. I think it's great.

[louisa maud]

One census i  found wife was shown as  " husbands   slave ", someone  had  a  good humour

LM