One of them could have been more helpful than it was, though.
So, one of my ancestors is John Faulkner (or Falkner or Falknor or Falconer), who did in March, 1733. From various things said in the will of one of his sons, I know his wife's maiden name was Holm. The parish records aren't extant in the particular part of Cheshire they lived in, so I can't find it from marriage records. However, John left a will. Surely she's mentioned in his will?
She is, quite a few times. This is how he refers to her:
"my dear and loving wife". He does that every time. Every damned time. It's as if he doesn't remember her name, but is afraid to admit it.
I did, however, note that he named his dear and loving wife as one of the executors of his will. When wills are approved, this fact is entered in a register. Included in the register are the names of the executors. So, if I could find the register entry, that should tell me the name of John's wife.
Registers aren't often online, but luckily for me many of the ones in Cheshire are. I managed to track down the record of the approval of John's will. Here's what it said:
It's a conspiracy, I'm sure of it...