Genealogy Chat

hi, I'm quite new to this and wondered if some one could explain the following. My great great grandparents went to France in 1845/ 1846. In the 1851 census my gt gt grandmother and children are back in England but there is no mention of my gt gt grandfather. Nor does he appear in 1861, 1871. In 1875 though both gt gt grandaprents die within a month of each other. Also in 1852 my gt gt grandmother gives birth to a daughter but there is no fathers name on the certificate. Can anyone explain probable causes for the discrepancies? What reasons would someone be missed of census? Am I right in thinking that if he had been in a workhouse my gt gt grandfather would still appear on the census? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Greatly appreciated;

There are several reasons why a man might appear to be missing from a census - he could have been working away from home, or at sea fishing, or in the army, or just staying with friends. The problem is to find out which! Could your gggf have stayed in France even tho' his family had moved back to England? And yes, workhouse inmates were included in census returns, usually the workhouse being a separate district. As for the 1852 birth cert, I would guess the father was not your gggf.

Looks like a Victorian potboiler to me.

Wifey gets pregnant in France by another man and flees back to England. Husband stays in France for 24 years, then comes back, tops his missus and then tops himself.