X00376 James H.R. Rothwell after 1856

I have mentioned James Hastings Radcliffe Rothwell in previous posts (X00376). He is the son of Henry Rothwell and Alice Hacking and was born 6 February 1835 in Haslingden, Lancashire. He is found living with the family in the 1841 and 1851 census records. He marries Margaret Airey 26 July 1856 in Blackburn:

Previously, I had only found them up to that point, so I did some further research. And here is where it gets interesting. In the 1861 census, both James and Margaret are found back living with their respective families:

James Rothwell in 1861:

Margaret Rothwell in 1861:

In the 1871 census records, they are again living separately. I have also found Margaret living alone in the 1881 census records, but have yet to find James. I have found a death record for Margaret in 1886, but am still looking for a death record for James.

So it looks like I have put together the story for Margaret Airey after 1856; I'm just waiting for a potential death record for James to arrive (stay tuned for more). But the reason why they lived separately for so many years will likely remain a mystery.