Elizabeth Eccleston

Events

Date of Birth: about 1830.

Place of Birth: Eccleston, Lancashire, England.

In the censuses, Elizabeth is 20 in 1851, 30 in 1861, 40 in 1871, and 50 in 1881. The birth place is given as St Helens, St Helens, Southport, and Eccleston. Southport is most likely an error, given the rest of the family in 1871 was born in Southport. Eccleston was a township within St Helens.

Date of Death: 15 January 1885.

Place of Death: Southport, Lancashire (Hoghton Street)

The date and place are given in the National Probate Calendar.

Relationships

Father: Roger Eccleston (born 1806).

Mother: Ann Mary Swift (born about 1808).

These parents are given in the birth certificate of Elizabeth’s brother, Thomas. The censuses show that Elizabeth is part of this family, both because of the dates and places given, and because two of her siblings’ children are visiting her in 1881. Elizabeth’s father is given as “Roger Eccleston Mechanic” in the record of her marriage to Thomas Molineux.

Spouse: Thomas Molineux (about 1831 - 1854). Married 22 April 1852 in North Meols, Lancashire (St Cuthbert’s).

The marriage is recorded in the parish register.

Spouse: William Molineux (about 1830 - 1878). Married 6 October 1858 in Liverpool (St Peter’s).

The place and date are from William and Elizabeth’s marriage certificate. (See the Commentary section below).

Children (with Thomas Molineux):

(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)

Emma Molineux (baptized 29 August 1852)

Thomas Molineux (baptized 22 October 1854 - buried 29 November 1856)

Children (with William Molineux):

Ada Jane Molineux (baptized 13 March 1859 - died 1902) married Alfred George Standish in 1879.

Thomas Henry Molineux (baptized 13 January 1861 - died 25 July 1897) married Martha Holt in 1880.

Annie Eola Molineux (baptized 10 August 1863).

Alfred Edwin Molineux (born 13 December 1868 - died 1911) married (1) Alice Ann Rimmer in 1888; married (2) Harriet Hinde 12 September 1896 in Southport, Lancashire.

Annie Louisa Molineux (born 1872) married Richard Street in 1894.

Evidence

1841 census (Eccleston)

Rodger Eccleston, 35, Engineer, Y [“Y” means born in Lancashire.]

Ann [Eccleston], 35, Y

William [Eccleston], 15, Y

Thomas [Eccleston], 13, Y

Elizabeth [Eccleston], 10, Y

Isice [Eccleston], 6, Y

Henry [Eccleston], 5, Y

//Samuel [Eccleston], 3, Y

1851 census (Southport)

154 Lord Street

Sarah Roberts, head, Mar, 63, Lodging House Keeper, [born] Northwood Lanc

Emma Roberts, daur, u, 22, [born] Burnley Yorkshire

Elizabeth Eccleston, Serv., U, 20, General House Serv., [born] St Helens Lancashire

Daniel Macauley, Visitor, Mar, 76, Merchant, [born] Sarawak, US America

Mary L Macauley, [Visitor], Mar, 50, [Merchant’s] wife, [born] New York, [US America]

Sarah Fitzsimon, Serv. do, U, 16, General House Serv., [born] Liverpool Lancashire

Catharine Pennington, Visitor, U, 40, Gentlewoman, [born] Preston [Lancashire]

Jane Yates, [Visitor], U, 17, Seamstress, [born Preston Lancashire]

1861 census (Southport)

East Bank St

William Molineux, Head, Mar, 30, Painter, [born Lancashire Southport]

Elizabeth Molineux, Wife, 30, [born Lancashire] St Hellens, Lancashire

Emma Molineux, Daur, 8, Scholar, [born Lancashire] Southport

Ada Jane Molineux, Daur, 2, Scholar, [born Lancashire Southport]

Thomas Henry Molineux, Son, 4 mo, [born Lancashire Southport]

1871 census (Southport)

9 Hoghton St

William Molineux, Head, Mar, 41, Painter &c, [born] Lancashire, Southport

Elizabeth Molineux, Wife, Mar, 40, [born Lancashire, Southport]

Emma Molineux, Daur, Unm, 18, [born Lancashire, Southport]

Ada J. Molineux, Daur, Unm, 12, Scholar, [born Lancashire, Southport]

Thomas H. Molineux, Son, Unm, 10, Scholar, [born Lancashire, Southport]

Alfred E. Molineux, Son, Unm, 2, [born Lancashire, Southport]

1881 census (Southport)

11 Hoghton St.

Elizabeth Molineux, head, widow, 50, Painter employing 4 men & 1 boy, [born] Eccleston, Lancs

Alfred E. [Molineux], son, 12, [born] Southport

Annie L. [Molineux], daughter, 8, Scholar, [born Southport]

Ada Eccleston, niece, 17, Dom Nurse, [born] Caergwrle, Flint, Wales

Alice M. Davy, 2, niece, [born] Ramsbottom, Lancs

Parish registers of North Meols (St Cuthbert's):

1852. Marriage solemnized in the Parish Church of in the Parish of North Meols in the County of Lancaster

No. 353.

When Married. April 22.^nd

Name and Surname. Thomas Molineux

Age. 21

Condition. Bachelor

Rank or Profession. Painter

Residence at the Time of Marriage. Southport

Father’s Name and Surname. James Molyneux

Rank or Profession of Father. Painter

Name and Surname. Elizabeth Eccleston

Age. 21

Condition. Spinster

Rank or Profession. –

Residence at the Time of Marriage. Southport

Father’s Name and Surname. Roger Eccleston

Rank or Profession of Father. Mechanic

Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church after banns by me, Br[..] S Clarke

This Marriage was solemnized between us, Thomas Molineux Betsy Eccleston in the presence of William Molineux, Mary Rimmer

National Probate Calendar entry for Elizabeth Molineux

Molineux Elizabeth

Personal Estate £ 133 18s. 6d.

2 February. Administration of the Personal Estate of Elizabeth Molineux late of Hoghton - street Southport in the County of Lancaster Widow who died 15 January 1885 at Hoghton - street was granted at Liverpool to Thomas Henry Molineux of 61 Hall - street Southport Plumber and Painter the Son and one of the Next of Kin.

Commentary

The marriage certificate of William Molineux and Elizabeth Molineux gives William’s father as James Molineux, painter, which is as expected. However, Elizabeth’s father is given as John Molineux, engineer, and she is recorded as a spinster. This information was probably a deliberate falsehood. Elizabeth had been previously married to William’s brother, Thomas, who had died two years earlier. She was about 4 months pregnant at the time of her second marriage, to William. In the Church of England in the period, a man was forbidden from marrying the widow of his brother. (This was shown in “A Table of Kindred and Affinity” in the Book of Common Prayer of the period -- it is forbidden relationship # 18 for men and # 17 for women. This particular rule lasted, I believe, from 1560 to 1921.) Elizabeth’s real father was, in fact, an engineer, as given on her marriage certificate. She seems to have lied about his name and the fact that she was a widow, so that the technically forbidden marriage could go ahead.

References

Rodger Eccleston household, 1841 census of England. Lancashire, Prescot, Prescot, Prescot, piece 516, book 6, folio 5, page 2, in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1841. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1841; digital image Ancestry.com (accessed 7 April 2014).

Sarah Roberts household, 1851 census of England. Lancashire, Ormskirk, Bickerstaffe, North Meols, ED 1c, piece 2196, folio 459, page 5, in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1851; digital image Ancestry.com (accessed 7 April 2014).

William Molineux household, 1861 census of England. Lancashire, Ormskirk, North Meols, ED 12, piece 2762, folio 31, page 5, in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1861; digital image Ancestry.com (accessed 1 April 2014).

William Molineux household, 1871 census of England. Lancashire, Ormskirk, North Meols, ED 23, piece 3876, folio 98, page 32, in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1871; digital image Ancestry.com (accessed 1 April 2014).

Elizabeth Eccleston household, 1881 census of England. Lancashire, Ormskirk, North Meols, ED 17, piece 3749, folio 129, page 3, in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1881; digital image Ancestry.com (accessed 7 April 2014).

Molineux, Elizabeth, entry in the National Probate Calendar; digital image Ancestry.com (accessed 7 April 2014) citing Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England. London, England.

Otterstrom, Joyce L.C. “Thomas Molyneux” in RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Park, accessed 5 April 2014. Otterstrom gives a transcription the record of Elizabeth’s marriage to Thomas Molineux.

William Molineux - Elizabeth Molineux marriage certificate, (certified copy). General Register Office. England and Wales. Civil Registration Certificates. (London, United Kingdom: General Register Office).

Thomas Eccleston entry of birth, (certified copy). General Register Office. England and Wales. Civil Registration Certificates. (London, United Kingdom: General Register Office).