Occupation from page 1 of the biography of his son, Ben Roberts:
“Remembered - From Ploughboy to Parliamentarian, The life and works of the Hon. Ben Roberts, Minister of Agriculture and Marketing 1943-46”

Name, age, more occupation detail, place of birth, estimated year of birth, from the 1881 England Census taken on the night of 3 April 1881 for the West Derby Parish, Liverpool, found in September 2023:
House: 21 Ash St
William Roberts, Head, Married, age 41, Occupation Railway Goods Guard, Born Worthenbury North Wales [circa 1840]
Margaret Roberts, Wife, Married, age 40, Born Eccleston Lancashire England [circa 1841]
John Roberts, Son, age 11, Scholar, Born West Derby Liverpool England [circa 1870]
William Roberts, Son, age 7, Scholar, Born West Derby Liverpool England [circa 1874]
Joseph Roberts, Son, age 4, Born West Derby Liverpool England [circa 1877]
Benjamin Roberts, Son, age 1, Born West Derby Liverpool England [circa 1880]

Entry in the 1871 England Census taken on the night of 2 April 1871 for the West Derby Parish, Liverpool, Lancashire, found in September 2023:
House: 21 Ash St
William Roberts, Head, Married, age 32, Railway Guard, Born Hanmer Flintshire Wales [circa 1839]
Margret Roberts, Wife, Married, age 30, Born Eccleston Lancashire England [circa 1841]
Eliza Roberts, Daughter, age 4, Born Liverpool [circa 1867]
John Roberts, Son, age 2, Born Liverpool [circa 1869]
James Pollet, Lodger, Engine Driver, Unmarried, age 24
Robert Roberts, Lodger, Stoker, Unmarried, age 21

Entry in the 1851 Wales Census taken on the night of 30 March 1851 for the Overton Parish, Flintshire, Wales, found in September 2023:
House: Pant Goulton
Thomas Roberts, Head, Married, age 55, Farmer of 50 acres, Born Worthenbury Flintshire Wales [circa 1796]
Eliza Roberts, Wife, Married, age 35, Born Worthenbury Flintshire Wales [circa 1816]
Mary Roberts, Daughter, age 13, Scholar, Born Willington Flintshire Wales [circa 1838]
William Roberts, Son, age 11, Born Willington Flintshire Wales [circa 1840]
John Roberts, Son, age 9, Born Willington Flintshire Wales [circa 1842]
Jane Roberts, Daughter, age 6, Born Willington Flintshire Wales [circa 1845]
Thomas Roberts, Son, age 5, Born Overton Flintshire Wales [circa 1846]
Richard Roberts, Son, age 7, Born Willington Flintshire Wales [circa 1844]
Robert Roberts, Son, age 3, Born Overton Flintshire Wales [circa 1848]
Eliza Roberts, Daughter, age 1, Born Overton Flintshire Wales [circa 1850]

Year of birth, date and place of baptism, name of parents, from the Flintshire, Wales, Anglican Baptism records found in September 2023:
Name: William Roberts
Birth Date: 1839
Baptism Date: 28 July 1839
Baptism Place: Hanmer, Flintshire, Wales
Father: Thomas Roberts
Mother: Eliza Roberts
Abode: Willington, Flintshire, Wales

Record of first marriage from the Liverpool, England, Church of England Marriage Records found in September 2023:
Marriage Date: 9 May 1865
Marriage Place: St Mary's Church, Edge Hill, West Derby, Lancashire, England
Groom: William Roberts
Groom's Marriage Age: 26, Bachelor [Born circa 1839]
Groom's Profession: Coachman
Groom's Residence: 5 Beech Street
Groom's Father: Thomas Roberts
Groom's Father's Occupation: Coachman
Bride: Elizabeth Welsby
Bride's Marriage Age: 23 [Born circa 1842]
Bride's Residence: Woodside Street
Bride's Father: Henry Welsby
Bride's Father's Occupation: Labourer

Record of second marriage from the Liverpool, England, Church of England Marriage Records found in September 2023:
Marriage Date: 21 November 1866
Marriage Place: St Mary's Church, Edge Hill, West Derby, Lancashire, England
Groom: William Roberts
Groom's Marriage Age: 28, Widower [Born circa 1838]
Groom's Profession: Railway Guard
Groom's Residence: 1 Arrow Street
Groom's Father: Thomas Roberts
Groom's Father's Occupation: Carter
Bride: Margaret Beesley
Bride's Marriage Age: 26, Spinster [Born circa 1840]
Bride's Residence: 2 Pakington Street
Bride's Father: John Beesley
Bride's Father's Occupation: Painter, deceased
[NOTE: Margaret died 27th January 1884 as found in October 2023]

Record of third marriage from the Liverpool, England, Church of England Marriage Records found in September 2023:
Marriage Date: 30 March 1885
Marriage Place: St Catherine, Edge Hill, West Derby, Lancashire, England
Groom: William Roberts
Groom's Marriage Age: 44, Widower [Born circa 1841]
Groom's Profession: Railway Guard
Groom's Residence: 67 Needham Road
Groom's Father: Thomas Roberts, deceased
Groom's Father's Occupation: Market Carter
Bride: Sarah Johnson
Bride's Marriage Age: 41, Widow [Born circa 1844]
Bride's Residence: 57 Edgeware Street
Bride's Father: William Brown
Bride's Father's Occupation: Market Carter, retired

William now married to his third wife, Sarah, in the 1891 England Census taken on the night of 5 April 1891 for the West Derby Parish, District of St Cyprian, Liverpool, found in September 2023:
House: 67 Needham Road
William Roberts, Head, Married, age 50, Railway Brakesman, Born Flintshire, Wales [circa 1841]
Sarah Roberts, Wife, Married, age 47, Born Gateacre Liverpool West Derby Lancashire England [circa 1844]
John Roberts, Son, Single, age 21, Printer Compositor, Born Liverpool West Derby Lancashire [circa 1870]
William Roberts, Son, Single, age 17, Railway Telephone Clerk, Born Liverpool West Derby Lancashire [circa 1874]
Joseph Roberts, Son, age 14, Chemists Messenger Born Liverpool West Derby Lancashire [circa 1877]
Benjamin Roberts, Son, age 11 Born Liverpool West Derby Lancashire [circa 1880]
Janet B Marsh, Daughter [of Sarah], age 18, Dressmakers apprentice, Born Liverpool West Derby Lancashire [circa 1873]
Frank L Marsh, Son [of Sarah], age 16, Stone moulders Apprentice, Born Liverpool West Derby Lancashire [circa 1875]
Arthur R Marsh, Grandson [of Sarah], age 9/12 Born Liverpool West Derby Lancashire [circa 1890]

New son Arthur, from the 1901 England Census taken on the night of 31 March 1901 for the West Derby Parish, Liverpool, Lancashire, England found in December 2023:
Address: 67 Needham Rd
William Roberts, Head, Married, age 61, Railway Guard, worker, Born Hanmer, Flintshire, Wales [circa 1840]
Sarah Roberts, Wife, Married, age 57, Born Childwall, Lancashire, England [circa 1844]
Joseph Roberts, Son, Single, age 24, Town Postman, worker, Born Liverpool, Lancashire, England [circa 1877]
Arthur Roberts, Son, Single, age 10, Born Liverpool, Lancashire, England [circa 1891]

1911 England Census - William Roberts now a widow, living with son John, from the 1911 England Census taken on the night of Sunday, 2 April 1911 for the Poulton with Seacombe Parish, Wallasey, Cheshire, found in September 2023:
House: 4 Broughton Road, Wallasey, Cheshire, England
John Roberts, Head, age 41, Married, Compositor, Printer, Worker, Born Liverpool Lancashire England [circa 1870]
Emily Lynch Roberts, Wife, age 43, Married, Born Woolton, Lancashire England [circa 1868]
Emily Margaret Roberts, Daughter, Single, age 16, Shorthand Writer and Typist, Grocery, Worker, Born Bangor-Isy-Cold Denbighshire Wales [circa 1895]
Marjorie Eveline Roberts, Daughter, age 13, School, Born Egremont Cheshire England [circa 1898]
William Roberts, Father, Widower, age 71, Pensioned Railway Guard, Born Penley, Denbighshire, Wales [circa 1840]

In 1921 England Census - William Roberts no longer living with son John and family, according to the 1921 England Census taken on the night of Sunday, 19 June 1921 for the Parish of Hoylake cum West Kirby, Cheshire County, England, and found in December 2023.

The record of death from the England & Wales Civil Registration Death records (GRO Vol 8b Page 734) for the 1916 quarter of Oct-Nov-Dec is not our William Roberts.

This record of death, added in December 2023, appears to be correct. Please see PDF for copy:
Name: William Roberts
Rank or Profession: Railway Guard, retired
Death Age: 89 [Birth circa 1840]
Death Date: 20 May 1929
Place of Death: 241 Westminster Road, Liverpool, England. [Kirkdale Homes for the aged and infirm, Cnr Westminster Road and Rumney Road]
Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun 1929
Registration district: West Derby
Inferred County: Lancashire
Cause of Death: Senile Dementia
Informant: Joseph Roberts, son
GRO Reference: Volume: 8b, Page: 501