Can I play devil’s advocate and say that there are 3 things which suggest that Theodore’s biological father may not have been a Holroyd:

1) 1901 census shows that James Holroyd stated that Theodore was his adopted son, not grandson.

2) the baptism entry for 3 yr old Theodore shows that Holroyd was one of his Christian names and that the only name in the surname box was Wood which we now know was his mother’s maiden name.

3) Lavinia Wood registered the birth with no christian names when her baby was 13 days old. Her intention must have been that she would hand the child over to adoptive parents.

Was the baptism arranged to be in Ramsey so that awkward questions might not be asked about the identity of Theo’s father ? Perhaps he was a pillar of the community who was eager to ensure that his child went to a good home, but insisted that his name should be kept secret, known only to Lavinia and possibly also James Holroyd. This could account for the pencilled comment “very vague” (ie evasive when pressed for more information ?) in the baptism register.

Jean C