Can anyone help me? Maternal great-grandparents were James MESSAM and Julia WITHERS (the former hailing from Preshute/ Marlborough and the latter from Haydon Wick/Rodbourne, Swindon). I have successfully traced both families back through a couple of generations. However, this week on doing a double check I went to the parish records for St Mary's Rodbourne to look at the wedding date for James and Julia and to my horror I discovered that in September 1882 Julia married James MASON! - he even signed his name that way (or was it the clerk who signed, plus a X ?) There is no indication of a death for James MASON and a second marriage to James MESSAM. Is this just another example of poor literacy at the time, and mis-spelling of his name in the register? Is it the result of an odd pronunciation? Or have I been researching the wrong Julia? Census evidence suggests I am correct - and an older generation remembers visiting some of Julia's younger siblings and all the names tally. There is no doubt that the family name was MESSAM. Presumably a copy of a cert. from London would only give me a the marriage of WITHERS/MASON?! Any suggestions to find a way forward? Steve, Swindon