Hello Bruce and Brian,
Please accept my apologies for the late reply.
I had been of the thought that they may have been of different religions and had 'lived in sin'. It hadn't crossed my mind that maybe Ellen had been married previously.

I did have the census for 1871 as Brian sent me that information some years ago. The 1861 census I searched on Ancestry and found Francis but not Ellen. I will try other alternatives for her.

Would the marriage certificate for Francis and Ellen have her former name? On the IGI it only gives her name as Boyde.

I understand that civil registration wasn't running at the time of their marriage, so would the parish register give the fathers names?

Best wishes,
J