There is a slight conjecture that it may not have been this James who married Mary Ann Cotton.

Witnesses to the marriage were Henry and Harriet Shaw, Mary Ann's sister and brother-in-law who married a few years earlier.


See James and Mary's Marriage Certificate

There is a certain degree of conjecture that these notes apply to this particular James Knibbs, with the age and place of birth fluctuating tremendously between 1851 and 1891. The theory is that James married twice and that his first wife Eliza was unwell after the birth of their son William/Walter. Maybe for this reason, James gave up his life on the canal boats and took alternative employment as a grocer so that he could care for them both.
In q1/1979 his first wife Eliza dies and James remarries soon afterwards.

It's frustrating that on both marriage certificates ages weren't specified other than "Full Age" which I believe normally meant over 21 years. However, for mary Ann Coton, I don't believe that was the case. The other frustration is that James is identified as "Bachelor" on both of them. The fact is that we are fairly confident that there was no other James who was also the son of Richard (deceased) who it could have been.

In 1881, James is recorded as being just 11 years older than his wife Mary Ann, and then in 1901, just 5 years older - yet based on the ages and places of birth of his wife and daughter Emily, this is clearly the same family unit.

So, what links these facts to this James:
1. James was the son of Richard Knibbs, a boatman who died in 1865. The marriage certificates of James Knibs to Eliza Aston in 1867, and James Nibbs to Mary Ann Cotton in 1879, both identify the groom's father as Richard, deceased, and a boatman.
2. James Nibbs was living at Odd Rode, Staffordshire when he married for the second time in 1879. Fanny Wakefield (daughter of Richard Knibbs) was also living at Odd Rode in 1881.
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1867
We think it's possibly this James Knibbs who married Eliza Aston in 1867 in Wolverhampton District, Staffordshire, England. FreeBMD and Ancestry.com have him transcribed as James Knibe from the marriage register.

The London Canal web site has the following from St. Mary's Church Marriage Register, Wolverhampton:

190 / 380 April 29 th. 1867
James Knibs F.A. Bach. Boatman on a boat son of Richard Knibs deceased
Eliza Aston F.A. Spin. on a boat dau.of Thomas Goodman Boatman
Witnessed by John Collins and Elizabeth Massey
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1871
We then suspect that it's this James who next appears with his wife Eliza living at the Grocer Shop in Moston, Cheshire in 1871 with a son named William. James is aged 27, Eliza 26 and William just 4 months. James' occupation is given as "Grocer".

There is no record of the birth of son William at the GRO, but there is a record of an Eliza Nibbs, born q4/1870 at Congleton District.
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1879
During q1/1879, and Eliza Knibbs dies in Walsall District, Staffordshire, aged just 34 years. We believe this is James' wife Eliza.

In q2/1879, a James Nibbs marries a girl named Mary Ann Cotton in Congleton District which sits on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire.
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1881
Then in 1881, we see James Knibbs living at Malkins Bank, Betchton, Cheshire, England:
James KNIBBS Head M Male 32 Tunstall, Stafford, England Chemic Laborer
Mary A. KNIBBS Wife M Female 21 Wolverhampton
Walter KNIBBS Son Male 10 Elton, Cheshire, England Scholar
Emily KNIBBS Daur Female 1 Wheelock, Cheshire, England

Could Walter aged 10 years be William, the son of James and his first wife Eliza? Clearly, he isn't the son of James 2nd wife.
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1887
Walter Knibbs died in Congleton District in q2/1887 aged just 16.
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1891
In 1891:
KNIBBS, James 41 M Congleton
KNIBBS, Mary A 31 F Congleton
KNIBBS, James 10 M Congleton
KNIBBS, Emily 11 F Congleton
KNIBBS, Edward 8 F Congleton
KNIBBS, Beatrice 2 M Congleton
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1901
In 1901, we see who we believe is James living at Wheelock, Cheshire.
James Knibbs 47 Bilston South Staffordshire Cheshire Wheelock Chemical Yard Foreman
Mary Knibbs 42 Wolverhampton Staffordshire Cheshire Wheelock
Emily Knibbs 21 Wheelock Cheshire Cheshire Wheelock
James Knibbs 19 Malkins Bank Cheshire Cheshire Wheelock Carter On Farm
Edward Knibbs 18 Malkins Bank Cheshire Cheshire Wheelock Cowman On Farm
Beatrice Knibbs 12 Malkins Bank Cheshire Cheshire Wheelock
Sydney Knibbs 9 Wheelock Cheshire Cheshire Wheelock
Frederick Knibbs 7 Wheelock Cheshire Cheshire Wheelock
Elsie Knibbs 5 Wheelock Cheshire Cheshire Wheelock
Harold Knibbs 4 Wheelock Cheshire Cheshire Wheelock
Leonard Knibbs 2 Wheelock Cheshire Cheshire Wheelock

The GRO has the following entries for the children identified in the 1901 census:
Emily Knibbs, born Jan-Mar 1880, Congleton District
James Knibbs, born Apr-Jun 1881, Congleton District
Edward Knibbs, born Apr-Jun 1883, Congleton District (died Apr-Jun 1907 at Congleton District, aged 24)
Beatrice Knibbs, born Oct-Dec 1888, Congleton District
Sydney Knibbs, born Oct-Dec 1891, Congleton District
Frederick Knibbs, born Oct-Dec 1893, Congleton District
Elsie Knibbs, born Oct-Dec 1895, Congleton District
Harold Knibbs, born Oct-Dec 1896, Congleton District
Leonard Knibbs, born Oct-Dec 1898, Congleton District

In addition, I believe there were also the following children:
Alice Ann Knibbs, born Oct-Dec 1884, Congleton District (died Jan-Mar 1890 at Congleton District, age 5)
Percy Knibbs, born Apr-Jun 1890, Congleton District (died Jan-Mar 1891 at Congleton District, age 0)
Stanley Knibbs, born Oct-Dec 1898, Congleton District (I think it was him who died Jan-Mar 1899 at Congleton District, age 0)
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We see James and his family in 1911 living at Malkins Bank Farm, Betchton, Sandbach, Cheshire:
James Knibbs Head Married 57 Farmer Oxfordshire
Mary Ann Knibbs Wife Married (32 years) 53 Farmers Wife Staffordshire
Beatrice Knibbs Daughter Single 22 Domestic Duties at Home Betchton
Sydney Knibbs Son Single 19 Farmers Son Working on Farm Wheelock
Fred Knibbs Son Single 17 Apprentice to Smith Wheelock
Elsie Knibbs Daughter Single 15 Domestic Duties at Home
Harold Knibbs Son 14 Farmers Son Working on Farm Wheelock
Leonard Knibbs Son 12 School Wheelock
Kenneth Knibbs Son 8 School Betchton
Jessey Wainwright Man Servant 19 Labourer of Farm
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James Knibbs died in Congleton District q2/1926, aged 84.

I believe Stanley and Leonard were twins. The GRO has it that Leonard died as an infant, but the 1901 census shows that Leonard was still alive so I suspect it was Stanley who died.