Comments

Thank you Pat, thats something I havent checked! 

Regards

Sarah

If you use FreeBMD you will see that there are two marriages entered on that page:

Surname First name(s)  District Vol Page 

Marriages Mar 1872 

• BEACH William  Monmouth 11a25  
• MARTIN Leah   Monmouth 11a25  
• MATTHEWS William   Monmouth 11a25  
• MEADOWS Emma   Monmouth 11a25

So the options are that  Leah married William BEACH or William MATTHEWS 

On the 1881 census you can find a Leah MATTHEWS married to William MATTHEWS and an Emma BEACH married to a William BEACH

The transcription I suggested before (The marriage to William MATTHEWS) showed that Leah's father was William MARTIN and that one of the witnesses was a Henry WHITTINGTON

If you look on the census of 1861 of Newland you will see that a Leah MARTIN is living with her widowed mother, Hannah, and that there is also a lodger Henry WHITTINGTON.

We had established that Leah's mother's maiden name was BROWN and the Forest of Dean records show a marriage in 1846 of a William MARTIN to a Hannah BROWN.

One of the problems of the 1871 Census Transcriptions online is that they are not always complete.  In this case if you look at the original you can see that Leah MARTIN was born in Colesford[sic], Gloucestershire (It's actually Coleford).  This is in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire and in the Registration District of Monmouth.  

Using the free GRO Index you can see that her birth was registered in the June Qrt of 1849 and her mother's maiden name was BROWN.

The Forest of Dean is covered by a very useful site The Forest of Dean Family History Trust  which has transcriptions of these parishes and you can find a marriage of a Leah MARTIN in 1872 to a William MATTHEWS in the parish of Newland.

Does this fit with your research?

Can you be more specific about exactly what you are looking for, please? It will help people focus their research.

Dave Erasmus

Have you tried looking for the Wills of his parents John & Elizabeth COOPER, which might mention William and his family?   They were both buried in the churchyard in Stocklinch Magdalen where William had been christened.  His mother lived until 1893 - she died in London whilst living with another of her sons, Albert COOPER, a chemist.  

Similarly Alma COOPER nee PREECE might be mentioned in the wills of her relatives - a slim chance but worth a try.