Thank you Liz for visiting the museum to search for marriages on my behalf, I presume it was a marriage index of some sort, not just parish records that you looked through, as they may have married at a register office, just a thought. I have suspected that they did not marry and Alison was only stated as 'wife' on the 1901 census to perhaps 'save face'. Thank you also for searching the voters books, I wonder why he didn't show up as a voter living in Union Mills? I did receive the death certificate of William Henry Cox (silver plater) only recently, so thank you for your offer to collect one for me, that was very kind of you. It did say that the informant of the deceased was an Alice Cox, widow.

Now then ........... what you have found regarding the newspaper article is very interesting, it is unfortunate though that there is no mention of family or any one else. For about 10 years or more I have been trying to find the parents of William Henry Cox and I have a collection of doubtful/hopeful candidates for the parents of him. One of them is a Thomas and Hannah Cox, with a young William and siblings on the 1841 census living in Birmingham, in 1851 the family lived in Sheffield and the William Cox aged 17 was a silver plater, on the 1861 Thomas and Hannah lived alone in Sheffield still and on the 1871 Thomas Cox a widower lived with his sister and her family in Aston Warwickshire. I am wondering could the William Henry Cox aged 77 that you found the newspaper article was the same one as I have just mentioned. He could of mentioned when he was alive that he was from Sheffield, thus it being mentioned in an obituary. The first marriage certificate I have of him, the 1881 and 1891 census all suggest he came from Birmingham.

I don't know if you saw Who do you think you are with Kim Cattarall last week, but her granddad told lie after lie about his previous life covering up all evidence of even being married, I wonder if this was the same scenario with this William Henry Cox of mine when he met the Alice as mentioned on the 1901 census.

Mary, I have also seen that other burial of WHC with the same coincidental age at death of 77, i don't know whether there is a connection and I wouldn't really know where to start looking to be honest.

I have run out of ideas of how to find out more about this couple, William Henry Cox and Alice Cox, but if anyone has any more 'lightbulb' moments do tell.
Many thanks
Ewan