[Margaret Pilkington]

It is definitely the early records which are problematic.
If you are descendants of what was once a land owning wealthy family, then there are far more clues to lead you down the right path...and you can usually find more than one confirmatory source.
It is much harder when you are relying on copper plate parish records, bishops registers and the faded census forms.
My Ancestry 'shoebox' is full of 'maybe' ancestors...and the sad truth is I will probably never really know for sure.
It is still a tantalising pursuit.