Good morning Judith, thank you for the prompt reply, it is most interesting and raises some intriguing points and a striking coincidence I feel.

The James Usher Huxley I am concerned with was born 13 December 1834 in Newport Shropshire to Mary and Aaron Huxley, a 'chemist and druggist'. He married Margaret Anne Brodie 16 December 1882 at Holy Trinity Church, Brompton London. At the time of his marriage, he was already living at 9 Higher Terrace, having previously lodged at 8 Higher Terrace, see 1881, 1871 censuses respectively.

AS I stated in my original post, James was a well-respected Torquay physician, having practised there for some 40 years prior to moving to Oxford on retirement. His wife had a sister living there.)

His status as 'widower'in the 1881 census is very interesting indicating as it does a marriage prior to his 1882 marriage to Margaret Brodie. I am a little sceptical as to whether he is the James Huxley whom Emma Towill married in the first quarter of 1876, (as the record shows she could have married a James Farley.) If she did marry James Usher Huxley, the marriage took place only c. 15 months before her supposed death in August 1877, which assumes that Emma Towill and the Emma Huxley who died in 1877 at Wem Shropshire are one and the same person. This Emma Huxley was born to Ann and Thomas Huxley in 1854, thus she was a Huxley by birth, and not by marriage. Findmypast records indicate that she spent the whole of her short life in Shropshire. I do acknowledge that the shared name Huxley and the prominence of Shropshire are something of a coincidence.

Thank you again for your comments, I would welcome any further observations you may care to make.