Frustration

OK, getting more frustrated by the day. I simply cannot find my G G Grandfather in 1891. It doesn't really matter as I have him in 1901 and 1911 but I am a completist and I want to know his full story.

I have my suspicions that he was hiding somewhere. Here's why:

Samuel Fox Sansom was born in about 1839. No father on his birth certificate but his mother, Hannah Samson was living with a Joseph Fox at the time so we assume Joseph is Sam's father. Later Hannah and Joseph marry and Sam becomes Samuel Sansom Fox.

He marries in about 1858 a lady called Virginie Hemsley who was born in France but a British Citizen. They go on to have 4 children and Virginie dies in 1869.

Sam then marries Esther Chapman shortly after and they go on to have a few kids.

In 1881 Sam and Esther are on the census together in Nottingham and Sam is calling himself Samuel Fox.

In 1891 Esther is with her daughter and son in law with the kids and calls herself a widdow. Sam has vanished.

Sam reappears in 1901 calling himself Samuel Sansome. he is living with a "servant" called Agnes Annie Bosorth who has a couple of kids, one of which is Sarah Fox Bosworth. Agnes's first child, Harry was born in 1893. Sam is calling himself a widower although Esther his wife is still alive.

So we are assuming that Sam in around 1890 meets Agnes Annie (who is much younger) at work (both in the lace industry) and starts an affair. Somehow Esther finds out so by the 1891 census she has left him and is saying she is a widow to avoid the shame. Sam is hiding out somewhere (hiding from his inlaws maybe). Agnes is not with him.

But this family doesn't stop here. Sam's son, Joseph Samuel Fox is also a nuisance.
He is born in 1865 and we have him in all the census. But in 1891 he has "acquired" 4 children. OK, all their birth dates are since the 1881 census. But 3 of them are recorded as being born in France. We have no record of him ever going to France!

His wife, Agnes Rogers is with her family in 1891 and is using the surname Fox and calls herself married (the kids are with her) but we can't find her marrying Joseph until 1894 ish. So we are wondering if a) she went to France, not Joseph, and married a french man and had the kids over there then came back tothe UK and married Joseph later or did the 2 of them go off to France sayign they were a married couple, then come back and decide after 4 kids were born taht they really should make it official?

I ma struggling to find anything in the French records as they may fall somewhere in the middle being British citizens in France - would they be required to register any births?

But i will keep fighting the records. I will find the answer eventually.