Genealogy Chat

Hi folks,
Just wondering what the reasons would have been for getting married in a registry office in 1880?
I have a cert stating that both parties were batchelor/spinster therefore why not marry in church? The only others I've found like this were widowed..
I wondered if the wife was widowed and thats why I can't find her birth anywhere...

Any help much appreciated,
Becky

No expert on this but not everyone would have wanted a church marriage, maybe not religious? Or poss different religions

My dad had real trouble getting married as he was Irish catholic and mom certainly was not!

x

I can't claim to be an expert on this, but the option of marrying in a register office came in, as I understand it, with the introduction of registration in 1837. Prior to that the only legal marriages were in the Established (i.e. Anglican) Church, apart from Quakers and Jews - they were allowed to conduct their own marriages because they were well-known for keeping meticulous records. After 1837 other nonconformist denominations were allowed to conduct marriages but initially only with a registrar present. Later the appointment of Authorised Persons was introduced. Usually the AP would be the minister of the church.
Even after 1837 many nonconformists still got married in the Established Church as this was the cheapest option. If this was not possible (for example if the vicar was a stickler for the rules and refused to marry anyone who wasn't a regular churchgoer) the Register Office was the next best option - marrying in a nonconformist church usually involved extra fees for the attendance of the registrar.

Thanks guys, I just have a feeling this isn't that straight forward. There are a few thinks that don't add up, like children born before the marriage with different surnames on differnt censuses and no records of births under any of the surnames.......

Once I have things a bit more straight in my head I'll see if anyone else can find anything,

Becky x

AllanC - If the vicar was a stickler for the rules he'ld know that being an established church meant that anyone could get married there, irrespective of their religion or attendance.

Point taken, mgnv. But there could be grounds for refusing a church wedding. How legal, for instance, were some of the ways of establishing "residence" in the parish such as leaving a suitcase of clothes at a house there?

My 2X g-grandparents were married at the Registry Office in 1845. No rhyme nor reason for them doing it as far as I've been able to figure. Their siblings on both sides had church weddings.

Ozi.

Thankyou everyone, as I thought there is definitely more to it than just not being religious. I asked on the Records Office forum last night and we think she was married previously with children - and as yet no death of first husband..... see thread 'Early/Thompson poss Marsh!'

Becky