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Think this is the chap from that 1911 census (have tracked him through)

MACPHERSON, John Head Married M 48 1833 Artist Landscape Painter Scotland
MACPHERSON, Barbara Wife Married F 47 1834 Scotland
MACPHERSON, Margt D Daughter Single F 24 1857 Milliner Scotland
MACPHERSON, Elizabeth Daughter Single F 21 1860 Scotland
MACPHERSON, Barbara H Daughter Single F 19 1862 Landscape Painter Scotland
MACPHERSON, James A Son Single M 18 1863 Engineer Pattern Maker Camden Town Middlesex
MACPHERSON, Evan C Son Single M 14 1867 Scholar Camden Town Middlesex
MACPHERSON, John Son Single M 12 1869 Scholar Camden Town Middlesex
MACPHERSON, Douglas Son Single M 9 1872 Scholar Abridge Essex
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Registration District: Hendon
Civil Parish: Willesden

Address: 5, Cambridge Road South, Willesden County: Middlesex

I wonder ... could John be a brother of William, maybe their father was Evan Cluny MacPerson so they both had sons named for him ?

or ... if it really was a case of bigamy ... William was invented

have we had an answer yet about William's occupation on the marriage certificate ?

or maybe it is a big coincidence !

(that is the 1881 census you posted just for clarity )

1861 in Scotland

Name: John Macpherson
Age: 28
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1833
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Barbara Macpherson
Gender: Male
Where born: So Leith, Midlothian

Registration district: Leith South
Civil parish: South Leith
Town: Leith
County: Midlothian
Address: 10 Weillington Place

Occupation: Landscape Printer

John Macpherson 28
Barbara Macpherson 27
Elizabeth Macpherson 1
James Macpherson 57
Elizabeth Macpherson 12
Elizabeth Macpherson 45


1851

Name: John Macpherson
Age: 18
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1833
Relationship: Son
Father's Name: James Macpherson
Mother's Name: Elizabeth Macpherson
Gender: Male
Where born: So Leith, Midlothian

Civil parish: Leith South
County: Midlothian
Address: 35 Constitution St

Occupation: Lithographer

James Macpherson 47
Elizabeth Macpherson 46
Alexr Macpherson 21
John Macpherson 18
Allan Macpherson 15
Thos Macpherson 12
Andrew Macpherson 9
Even Macpherson 7
Eliga Macpherson 2


1841

James Mcpherson 35
Elizabeth Mcpherson 35
Alexander Mcpherson 11
Georgiana Mcpherson 10
John Mcpherson 9
James Mcpherson 7
Allan Mcpherson 5
Thomas Mcpherson 3
Margaret Hill 40


no William ... but an Evan ...

William MacPherson's occupation on the 1918 marriage was a farmer.

The witnesses were John Barker & Susan Jane Johnson.

The address for both Edwin and Ellen Eliza was 10 Walker Street.

Ellen Eliza was 43.

Yes, of course it was the 1881. ;-)

I apologise for not answering your questions sooner. Edwin may have died around 1940/41. Not too sure as cannot trace death certificate. Edwin married Ellen Eliza Barker at Parish Church of St. Peter, Limehouse, London. Father's occupation on certificate is Farmer. Ellen died 1931 aged 55 at Stepney, London. My father-in-law, Evan Cluny born 1918, went to live with his step sister after his mother, Ellen, died as he was only 13. Edwin/Evan was born 1872/3 and his occupation is shown as Able Seaman.
I sent for the birth certificate of the one who's father is shown as Landscape Artist but it was the wrong date of birth and father was not William. My husband, Stuart, seems to recall seeing at sometime a birth certificate, he does not know who it was for but it states 'born in the bush'! Unfortunately, we cannot find any trace of this, can only assume it has been destroyed. I do not have anymore details to give, please can you help any further?
Regards - Lynda

I don't know, that death considered before is very coincidental since you mention a death around 1940/41 ...

Name: Evan Mcpherson
Birth Date: abt 1865
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1941
Age at Death: 76
Registration district: Shoreditch
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1c
Page: 132

I've lost track a bit, your father-in-law is deceased ?

if not does he have any recollection of his father ? I'm not quite following whether his father was present when he was a child before his mother died

bigamy would not be that outlandish an idea ... but it would be unusual to give an assumed name aka his real name :-)

but it would not be unusual to invent a father and an occupation for him in that situation

the 'Evan Cluny' part is just so coincidental too