Hello, I'm tracing the history of an C18 East London merchant. He is in partnership with a brewer in Aldgate up to the early 1730s, marries and moves to Whitechapel in 1732, and goes into the corn trade. He is also a tax assessor or auditor for various E London parishes. I've been helped by the fact that he has a fairly distinctive signature that survives on numerous tax and parish records. But there's a problem. In several documents he gives his age, and there is a worrying disparity: Consistory court deposition 1711 -- about 35 Consistory court deposition 1713 -- about 37 Chancery deposition 1722 -- about 47 years Marriage Allegation 1732 -- aged 30 years (bachelor) Chancery deposition 1746 -- about 50 years If the early ages are remotely accurate, then he was actually in his mid-50s when he married. What I would like to know is whether it is usual for someone (who is literate and numerate) to be so wildly inaccurate about their age, or whether this indicates that there must be two different people here (albeit with the same signature)? thanks, Michael -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.11.5/426 - Release Date: 23/08/2006