It is possible that James Battersby was the illegitimate child of Edward Bootle-Wilbraham (Lord Skelmersdale).

Correspondence with Christine Edney, a genesreunited contact:

Stephen, 28 Jan 2008:
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I notice that you have Edward Bootle-Wilbraham in your tree. I came across him on the One World Tree on ancestry.co.uk, but I wasn't prepared to adopt him without more evidence. Edward was Lord Skelmersdale, and presumably James (1811) was his illegitimate son by Martha Battersby, a servant. If this is true, you and my wife are related to a lot of famous people.

What is your source for Edward?
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Christine, 29 Jan 2008:
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The story about James being the illegitimate son of Edward Bootle Wilbraham was passed down through the family by word of mouth. My Gt.Grandmother, Sarah, (James Granddaughter) told me when I was a child that her father, Thomas, often spoke about the story his father James had told him. That Martha Battersby was not James's real mother, (we don't know who the real mother was) but Martha adopted James and it was only on her death bed that she revealed to James who his real parents were. There was talk that his mother was a Lady in Waiting in the household. I have no documented evidence but there are other indicators that would take too long to tell you by email.
Although James and his descendents were quite poor, they were amazingly academic and, unlike local folk, they mostly lived well into their nineties. I have visited Lathom House (mostly demolished now), it's a beautiful area in Lancashire, and the Chapel on the Estate where James was baptised.
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Stephen, 29 Jan 2008:
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This is fascinating. Thank you.
Have you ever tried to track down the parish register for James' baptism?
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Christine, 30 Jan 2008:
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...my cousin in Nottingham has done extensive research for the past 25 years and he has a copy of the Certificate of Baptism which states his mother as being Martha Battersby, spinster (no father's name). It was dated June 1811.
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