Sorry about my first email. I am not totally sure what caused it to corrupt but it may have been the plain text format. I'll try again and keep my fingers crossed I wonder if anyone can help or make any suggestions as to how I can solve one of my brick walls? Details as follows Richard Walsh and Ellen Bullough are my 2 x gt grand parents. Richard was born about 1832 and was with his parents [William Mary] in Lostock on the 1851 census, though their surname was spelt WALCH. Ellen was with her parents [Peter and Betty] in Rumworth in 1851. Richard and Ellen married on 2 Jan 1854 at Deane Parish Church and this time their name is spelt WELCH. I have a copy of their son / my gt grandfather Peter's birth certificate. He was born on 5/9/1856 in Chew Moor, Rumworth and on his birth the name in now WALSH. It is after this that it all goes wrong. I cannot find Richard or Ellen on the 1861 with any of the spelling variations. Their children William, Peter and Mary are staying with their grand parents William and Mary -now WALSH who have now moved from Lostock to Brackley St Farnworth. In 1871 the 3 children are still living with their grand parents in Brackley St, Farnworth and I can still find no trace of Richard. I have however found Ellen who is back living with her parents in Chew Moor Lostock and is shown as Ellen WALSH and is married In 1881 again I can find no trace of Richard but Ellen Walsh is now living in Rumworth on Bella St and is shown as widowed. She is the head of the house and has a couple of people boarding with her.Their son / my Gt grandfather Peter has now married and is living with his wife Mary Louise, my gt grandmother, on Morris Green Lane. I cannot find a reasonable match for the other 2 siblings William and Mary on any of the 1881 and later census and will still keep looking. However it is the fact that I can't find either Richard or Ellen on the 1861 and only Ellen on the1871 and on both census all their children are with their grandparents that seems very strange. It's as though the children were brought up by the grandparents as I have never found anything to show them living with the parents I wonder where Richard and Ellen were? I have found Ellen on the 1891 and the1901 census where again she has boarders living with her. I have never found Richard on a census other that the 1851 with his parents. Has anyone any ideas on the best areas for me to research that would help fill the gaps. Kind regards Linda Hindley researching Walsh, Roscoe, Lobb, Bullough, Ramwell Whitworth, Heywood, Smith, Bolton,Vose , Raby, Ormrod, Makinson and Calderley