Hi everyone I appeared to have uncovered another scandal in my family tree (I do like finding those, it makes the modern world we live in seem not so bad after all, despite what the politicians tell us about the decline in "family values"!). I had the marriage of Henry Howgate and Sarah Champion in 1844, I had uncovered several children, the youngest being born in 1864. When I found the couple on the 1871 it was apparent they had parted. Henry lived with his mother in Sheffield until his death in 1873 and Sarah had moved, with her daughters, to South Meols in Lancashire where she remained until her death in 1907. I've looked at the 1861 census in the Sheffield archives and at that time Henry is living with his mother and eldest daughter while Sarah and her other 2 daughters are at Sarah's mother's house - it's not clear whether they are living there or just visiting. I recently started investigating family plots in the Sheffield General Cemetery. When I looked at the plot belonging to Henry's brother, Benjamin, I found a "stray" baby, Clara Howgate, daughter of Sarah who's described as a spinster - the baby was born in 1863 and died when only a few weeks old. As I knew that there were no unmarried Sarah Howgate's in the family at that time I was intrigued and sent for the birth certificate of the baby and discovered that she was the daughter of Sarah Howgate formerly Champion - there are no details of the father given on the birth certificate. Knowing there was a younger daughter born in 1864 who I had assumed to be Henry's daughter I sent for her birth certificate too and sure enough she is illegitimate. I would love to know more about what happened back then in the 1860's! Sarah set up her guest house in Lancashire before her husband's death - does this make it likely that she had her own independent income? I think it highly unlikely this couple divorced but wonder if there would have been some sort of separation agreement. In 1863 Sarah's address is 6 Franklin Court and in 1864 it is 157 South Street - is there any way of finding out who else lived at those addresses at that time? Thanks - Shelagh