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Is it possible to put false info on Marriage certs

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Pauline

Pauline Report 6 Nov 2008 10:40

My grandmother Mabel Follows who married Arthur J. Hooper in Jan.1916, she had a son William Arthur Hooper b.Nov.1917, there are two entries for his birth one in the name of Hooper and 1 in the name of Morgan same entry page 773 and Vol.11a .on his birth certificate no name of father. in 1921 Mabel divorced Hooper and had two further children, Edna May Morgan b.1920 and Winifred Morgan 1923, stated on their birth certificates their father was William Morgan. This is the query, Mabel never married William Morgan but on the birth certificate of Winifred she was listed as Mabel Morgan mother, She went on to marry Joseph O'keeffe in 1926, and on this marriage cert. it states her name as Mabel Follows (her maiden name) formerly the divorced wife of Arthur Hooper. Would it be possible for her to lie about her surname on an official document? because I would have thought that some proof of her details would have been needed.
I just cannot untangle these relationships. Can anyone help me out please.

Ericthered

Ericthered Report 6 Nov 2008 10:49

Yes, you can give false info...........


If you have been divorced and wish to re-marry, you are required to produce proof of the divorce, but I'm not aware of any other circumstances in which any form of 'evidence' would be asked for.................

Pauline

Pauline Report 6 Nov 2008 10:50

Thank you Ericthered, was it illegal?

Ericthered

Ericthered Report 6 Nov 2008 10:53

It would depend on whether it was done with criminal intent........for instance, if someone committed bigamy

JMW

JMW Report 6 Nov 2008 10:58

All information about Births, Deaths and Marriages is given to a Registrar under the Perjury Act of 1911 (obviously since that date). It is only in more recent times that Registrars have asked for proof, so it was possible for people to give incorrect information.
If you think about it, it is possible to prove you are married (marriage cert) Divorced (decree absolute) widowed (death cert), but you cannot show you are single. Therefore it is easy to say that.

Julie

Julie Report 6 Nov 2008 10:59

Hi Pauline

On one of my Greats M/C it says that she was a spinster & he was a Widow but it turn out she was the one that was married before

Julie

Pauline

Pauline Report 6 Nov 2008 11:01

Well thank you all for your imput, she obviously did it for the childrens sake I would guess.