William Wilkinson - surname of wife conundrum

[Pennines]

Hello Everyone,

Firstly - my apologies for the length of this message!!

I am confused by the surname of a possible wife of a William Wilkinson.

From his age at death in 1839 - William was born in 1802 (birthplace unknown but possibly Barrowford with a father named Joseph - a Stonemason, and a mother named Bella/Bellah.

William b 1802 became a Stone Mason - he and Alice appear to have had the following children - I mention these because the Christian names of the elder children are relevant I feel.

Joseph  1822 baptised at Downham - abode Clitheroe. (named after William's father?)
Richard  1825 baptised at Downham - abode Clitheroe (named after Alice's father?)
Susanna  1827 baptised at Wallasey - abode 'Magazines' Wirral. (Maybe a fancy name from Alice's mother?)
Isabella  1829 baptised at Wallasey - abode 'Magazines' Wirral (named after William's mother?)
Elizabeth  1831 baptised at Liverpool - abode Liverpool (Love Lane)
Ann  1832 baptised at Liverpool - abode Liverpool (Portland St) (named after Alice's mother?)
William  1834 baptised at Liverpool - abode Liverpool (Portland St)
Alice  1836 baptised at Liverpool - abode Liverpool (Portland St)
Charles  1838 baptised at Liverpool - abode Liverpool (Portland St). (dies at Portland St 1839)

William senior b 1802 - also dies at Portland St Liverpool in 1839.

1841 Census; Wife Alice Wilkinson with 3 children, Susanna, Isabella and William has moved to Accrington.

1844 Alice remarries - to a Richard Thompson in Haslingden Reg Dist. Her father on this marriage certificate is Richard Douglas., which suggests a maiden name of Douglas for Alice.

1851 Census - Alice Thompson is now a widow living in Haslingden with children 'Susan', Isabella, William and Alice - ie. some of her children. Plus a visitor Ann 'Duglas' born Blackburn.
This census shows Alice's birthplace as Downham. and her age suggesting a birth year of about 1800.

There is a baptism of an Alice Douglas in 1800 at Downham- father Richard - mother 'Nancy'

HOWEVER the only marriage I can find between William Wilkinson and an Alice - is in 1821 at Blackburn - William is a Mason - but Alice is Alice Corless. (Lancs OPC and Lancs marriages on Ancestry).

Family trees on Ancestry show Alice Douglas from Downham marrying someone else and dying early. Yet the evidence of children's names - the father's name on Alice's second marriage - AND the visitor named 'Duglas' in 1851 - seem to suggest that William Wilkinson's wife was Alice Douglas.

Does anyone think that the Alice CORLESS - the bride in 1821 COULD have been Alice DOUGLAS please?

So sorry about the length of this -- but I was trying to include all the droplets of evidence gathered along the way.

[Milliepede]

Charles  1838 baptised at Liverpool - abode Liverpool (Portland St). (dies at Portland St 1839)

Is there a birth registration for Charles or is he too early?

[rosie99]

Alice Corless is a spinster according to marriage on LancsOPC

ADDED The visitor in 1851 is Ann Duglus WIDOW age 81? bn Blackburn

[Pennines]

Oh wow!! Thank you for your speedy responses AND for reading the War and Peace message!!

Re Charles's birth -- he doesn't seem to have been registered, as initially I searched for that - to obtain a mother's maiden name.

Re Alice's status at marriage - yes - Spinster, but I cannot find a baptism for an Alice Corless - 1851 gives her as born Downham. It doesn't mean to say that there isn't a baptism - I just cannot see one.

(She has an interesting death - nothing to do with my query - but caused as a result of a train crash 6 months earlier. There are newspaper reports of both.)

[rosie99]

The visitor in 1851 is Ann Duglus WIDOW age 81? bn Blackburn

[rosie99]

There is a census entry in 1841 for a Richard (70) and Nancy (71) Douglas -Town End, Whalley, Clitheroe,

[osprey]

rosie99, I'm with you on that. She could well be Alice's widowed mother.

1841 census
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQLR-Y1H

Burial Downham 17 Jan 1849 Richard Douglas
GRO record Richard Douglass 78 march qtr 1849 Clitheroe vol 21 pg 294

[Pennines]

Hi Rosie - yes, I did wonder if the 1851 entry was Alice's mother, although you would have thought the relationship would have said 'mother' - I can't make out what the deleted word is under 'visitor'. Thank you also Osprey.

You have given me an idea!! I'll find her death and see who her husband was. Thank you for that - hadn't thought of it. Hope springs eternal again.

[rosie99]

I think it was Widow written in the wrong column