OK, so sometimes, people lie. It's a fact of life. And, in the past, a lot of people had absolutely no qualms about lying to officials to cover up uncomfortable truths.
Illegitimate children are often 'passed off' on censuses etc. as sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, cousins etc. And when they came to be married themselves, would sometimes point blank make up a father.
There was also the question of social status - if you were better off than your parents were before you, then it was not uncommon to exaggerate a little regarding your father's rank or profession (or your own if you were marrying above your station.)
And, of course, lies, or simple mistakes, abound in terms of age and birthplace on pretty much every type of document from older parish records through to Victorian documents, and even into the twentieth century.
Need help sorting through the mess of conflicting information? See my website www.familyhistorybycerys.co.uk to see my range of British family history services.
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