That last post was from me by the way.

Seemingly I'm going to have a million things to ask/say about everything that's been mentioned here, so probably should have waited until I'd digested it, but anyway.

Firts thing, I'm quite intrigued by your numbers of children, as I only have 16 - 9 for Mary Ann and 7 for Elizabeth. Can you post me a list of them all?

I was going to comment as well, that while his children were being born and so on in all these different places, there's no reason to assume that he was there the whole time. As you mention, he was already living a double wife. There's no reason why he couldn't have gone off travelling leaving both women and the hoardes of children wherever there were!

I think I found one reference to him in the Stage archives, which don't start until the 1880s, but I can't seem to lay my hands on it at the moment. But I've certainly had no luck locating him on the 1881 census, despite trying every single spelling I can think of.

It's news to me that he managed a theatre in Stoke, but there it has a corpped up as one of the key places where my rather peripatetic family seem to return to alot so we had assumed there was family connection of some sort, so thanks for confirming that.

Can't think of anyhting else right now. But look forwrad to eharing from you soon.

LN