No, but she was living in South Yorkshire (Doncaster) at the time of the marriage.

Robert Samuel Crane could be the one who married Beatrice C Bennett Apr-Jun 1926 Sheffield.

If you can get her exact dob (perhaps from her death registration) it might help. Or if you can get a look at the electoral register entries for her address from the marriage cert to see who else was living there.

The groom (my father), was registered as James Townsend though he was illegitimate. His mother was born Annie Turner.


When James died in 1984 the death was registered by his brother, an electoral roll from a year or two earlier gave the names as shown on the marriage cert at an address in Bircotes, S Yorks. Given his reputation for the ladies I don't know if he was widowed by the time of his death or if she had packed her bags and left.

Totally confused now, I have a couple of pics from the day and one is noted as having a young man, name unknown as "new stepson to Jim".



The only other thing I can add is coming forwards to the 1980's when Jim Turner/Townsend died, his death cert is in the name of Turner/aka Jim Townsend and the death was registered by his brother. No known probate and no trace of Joyce.

I've just realised that although Joyce's address on the marriage certificate is Doncaster, the actual village where she lived - Harworth - is in Nottinghamshire, so the electoral roll may be at Notts Archives. I could probably have a look next week and see if anything comes up.

Also, if only results from the phone books still came up in a general search on ancestry, we might be able to find out who (if anyone) was listed at her address around 1969, but the only way to search the phone books now seems to be to search that particular database on its own, and then it forces you to enter a surname (though at least the country / county selection actually works now.) And of course we don't know what her surname was before she changed it!

I've had a look at the electoral registers for 1 York Road, Harworth, and James and Joyce M Turner were listed there from 1969 to 1972 with nobody else. Glen, I will PM you the names of the people who were there before and after the Turners but I doubt it will help.

Could your grandmother have married a Mr Townsend at some point? Would explain the name change. Not that that explains why he was a new stepson, unless Mum married Jim shortly before the wedding.

Also is there any chance of finding the marriage licence? It might explain things

Toni, I believe the groom's surname was Townsend and he changed it to Turner before the marriage, and the bride's surname was unknown and she also changed her name to Turner before the marriage (most likely because she and Jim were living together). Surely the boy was Jim's new stepson because he was the bride's son from her previous marriage.

The surname for Robert Samuel and Joyce Mary isn't Crane, it's Crome!

1939 Register:

7 Waterslack Road , Worksop R.D., Nottinghamshire

Robert S Crome 05 Aug 1887 Colliery Boiler Fireman Heavy Worker Married
Ethel M Crome 26 Oct 1891 Unpaid Domestic Duties Married
Ronald W B Crome 19 Jun 1913 Male Colliery Screen Hand Heavy Worker Single
Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record. <<<< Joyce?

Marriages Mar 1913 (>99%)
Crome Robert S Mill (sic) Worksop 7b 92
Hill Ethel M Crome Worksop 7b 92

Children:

Births Sep 1913 (>99%)
Crome Ronald W B Hill Worksop 7b 81

Births Dec 1923 (>99%)
Crome Joyce M Hill Worksop 7b 79

1911 Census
52 Marsland Street Church Army Labour House, Stockport, Cheshire (many at this address, including:)

Robert Samuel Crome 25 single baker b Hackney London

(his place of birth might not be accurate, as I couldn't find any other record connecting him with Hackney).

Deaths Dec 1950 (>99%)

Crome Robert S 65 Worksop 3c 454

Annoyingly, as yet, I haven't found a definite first marriage for Joyce.