Genealogy Chat

Does anyone know what this actually means? And what does having such a marriage 'regularized' mean?? My great-grandparents had an irregular marriage in 1910, were supposed to have it regularized but apparently didn't, and I cannot find any record of the union anywhere!!

Sarah hope this helps you The law of Scotland recognised two kinds of marriage - regular and irregular. A regular marriage was one performed by a minister of the Established Church of Scotland. Irregular marriages consisted of many types. Marriage vows taken in the presence of a witness, marriages performed by Catholic or Seceding clergy, promise of future marriage followed by intercourse, marriage by "habit and repute", and local customs such as "hand-fasting" were considered binding marriages, by the local community if not by the Church and law. It is notable that, under Scottish law, a bastard was legitimised by the subsequent marriage of its parents Christine

Thanks Christine - that certainly explains alot. Am I likely to be able to trace details of such a marriage? (the marriage date is noted in a letter I have, written by the bride's mother some 10 years after the event - she wasn't present at the ceremony and only became aware of the marriage some weeks after it took place, so I'm not sure how accurate her information is)

Sarah You could always check on the "Scotland's People" website to see if the marriage was registered (the information given to you may not be correct). I believe the SP website holds marriages up to 1928 (it is a pay to view site but very good as you can see images right away). Rgds Caroline