Genealogy Chat

well you know what I mean! lol Lucia

yeah, but I said about a year ie the age is from the census. Lucia :-)

Er, Lucia, I don't know how to tell you this but...pregnancy usually only lasts for nine months...not a year.... Marjorie.(puzzled)

Nell, that sounds interesting, perhaps that is the reason, Lucia :-)

Thanks for your help everyone, I think it could have been because the bride was pregnant because her daughter was born about a year after their marriage in 1861. There have been shotgun weddings across three successive generations of my great great grandfather's family, but they all married in Churches. Lucia :-)

Another thought - perhaps the couple wanted to marry on christmas day as all the family would be able to go, but the local churches were busy with Christmas services, or they arranged the wedding late and couldn't get the banns called in time. You can't get married in a register office on Christmas day now. Poor old registrars! nell

Lucia You don't say when this happened, but in the 1860s, I think, lots of people got married on Xmas Day because it was the only day off from work, and also, I think (again!) that the fee for marriage was waived on Xmas Day (it certainly was in Manchester Cathedral, when they married some 200 couples on Xmas Day) It may have been the case that the Registry Office also waived the fee on Xmas Day but that's just speculation. Marjorie

Lucia I have relatives that married in 1852 in a register office - very early for that I thought but I imagine the reason was because the bride gave birth 3 weeks later. My husband had great-grandparents that married in a register office because she was Jewish and he was Anglican. nell

Lucia I had something similar a wee while ago and put a thread up asking why. Can't for the life of me find it now but this was the general gist of what people suggested 1. Pregnancy 2. Different religions 3. The cost factor 4. One party had previously been married Hope that helps a little! Lou

I Found that an Aunt of my Mothers also married in a register office in 1898 which surprised me, I just assumed it was a shotgun wedding.

I received a marriage certificate today and my 4xgreat grandparents married in a register office on Christmas Day which I think is quite unusual. Do you think they did this to save money? I think they were religious as their daughter married in a church. Lucia :-)