Find Ancestors

Michael - just to clarify, William Goodey marr Catherine Tommony at St Paul's Preston. They would have signed the parish register which is now in Lancs Record Office (catalogued under PR 2973/1 - the Banns book is PR 2973/2, but I don't know if they would have signed that). The parish clerk (or whoever) makes a copy of the marr entry, and sends that to the Preston Register Office whose books are now held by the Lancs Register Office, so the Register Office will have the parish clerk's signature for the bride, groom and witnesses ( - there's no reason they can't be typed signatures even).

Lancs Register Office will have original signatures when they signed the reistrar's own register - after 1898, this would mostly just be register office marrs and RC marrs where the registrar attended the ceremony and had them sign his register since until abt 1980 RC priests weren't trusted to keep registers

Thanks for that mgnv.

Recent pm received explains a lot ....

" ....the richard you are trying to find is my gran father george henry richard goody and catherine born 19 may 1903 is his daugther she was married in 1922.
The reason catherine signed williams name on the1911 census is that living in a rented house and being femail, and their being no male bread winner in the house she could have been evicted.
She would have been playing for time untill she could move on her terms.
william when alive would be the name on the rent book and he would have paid the rates so any thing that changed that set up to either the house owner or officialdom would have been horrific for catherine,dont forget were talking 1911 womans rights ? forget it. regards
ian goody. "

That also solves another mystery.
On death cert of Catherine Goody (nee Tommony) it says informant is son Geoff R Goody.
I have searched forever to trace this guy with no luck.
I am now certain that Geoff R should actaully read Geo H R...
Transcribers eh ?...Arrggghhhh !