Hello Adrian,
I'm just trying to unravel this one, and I think I have found the John Cross you're referring to on the 1901 census for Maghull. He is said to be 47 years old (so, born about 1854), born in Maghull, and was married to Agnes. I notice that their eldest four children were said to have been born at Bescar Lane between about 1880 and 1883, which would make sense, because there is a station at Bescar Lane, Scarisbrick. (That family do seem to be living at Bescar Lane in 1881.)
However, I can't see him linked to the Moorgate address; do you know whether the record that you found was definitely part of the Ormskirk census?
The first thing that struck me as being potentially useful would be the trade directories that covered Lancashire during the 1880s to early 1900s; there are some at the Lancashire Archives in Preston but you can also find some on Ancestry etc, and these often give information about the names of teachers, station masters, vicars, and others with significant roles in the community, so you may be able to trace John's arrival in different places that way (using the birthplaces of any children as a guide).
Best wishes,
Kate Hurst
ODFHS Chair