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Topic: How long can a marriage register last? (Read 407 times)
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Aulus
RootsChat Veteran
Posts: 988
The black sheep: Florence Stevenson née Hampson
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I called up a marriage register at the Lancashire Records Office today which covers the largest period I've yet come across: the first entry was 1854; the last entry 2004.
The standard size of a CofE marriage register with the usual number of pages.
Whitechapel St James is obviously a rather quiet church when it comes to marriages!
I should have spent longer looking at it. I recall the job of one of the last entries was given as IT Consultant. Could you imagine trying to explain that to the couple who were entry number 1?!!
Anyone seen a longer-lasting register?
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Lancashire: Stevenson, Wild, Holden, Jepson Worcs/Staffs: Steventon, Smith East London & Suffolk: Guest, Scrutton East London: Palfreman (prev Tyneside), Bissell, Collis, Dearlove, Ettridge Herts: Camac, Collis, Mason, Dorrington, Siggens Marylebone & Sussex: Cole London & Huntingdonshire: Freeman Bowland: Marsden, Noble Shropshire: Guest Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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Geoff-E
RootsChat Veteran
Posts: 982
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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I've seen BT's in which it says no one was was baptised, married or buried in some years.
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Lydart
RootsChat Marquessate
Posts: 3600
Peace on Earth; Goodwill to all Men
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We have one in our church which I noticed when it was checked by the then Bishop, that started around 1850 and we were still using it in 2004 ! (And still are !!) I pointed this out to him as showing what an economical church we were !
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Dorset/Wilts/Hants: Trowbridge, Williams, Sturney, Prince, Foyle, Fripp, Triggle ... and more C'wall/Devon/CANADA (The Cariboo, B.C.): Pomeroy Som'set: Clark(e) Durham: Law London: Poplett Lancs/Cheshire/CANADA (B.C.): Stubbs, Walmesley WRITE LETTERS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS TO TREASURE ... EMAILS DISAPPEAR FOREVER ! Census information Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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Mean_genie
RootsChat Veteran
Posts: 658
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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The number of churches with only one marriage in some quarters was the reason that the GRO changed the size of marriage register pages. Originally there were up to 4 marriages on a page. But after a few years of quarterly returns with one entry on a page that could have contained 8, (if both sides were full), they realised they were giving house room to a lot of near-blank paper, and calculated that they would run out of space. So they changed to smaller pages so there would be less wasted space.
How's that for a piece of trivia that isn't even any use in pub quizzes!
Mean_genie
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Mean_genie
RootsChat Veteran
Posts: 658
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Steve
That's very flattering, thanks.
Although in my case it's the manifestation of 'easily distracted from what she's meant to be reading' (ask my teachers and employers), with a touch of 'should get out more' (ask my friends and family)! 
Glad you'e enjoying trawling Rootschat anyway - me too!
Mean_genie
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Aulus
RootsChat Veteran
Posts: 988
The black sheep: Florence Stevenson née Hampson
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The number of churches with only one marriage in some quarters was the reason that the GRO changed the size of marriage register pages. Originally there were up to 4 marriages on a page. But after a few years of quarterly returns with one entry on a page that could have contained 8, (if both sides were full), they realised they were giving house room to a lot of near-blank paper, and calculated that they would run out of space. So they changed to smaller pages so there would be less wasted space.
How's that for a piece of trivia that isn't even any use in pub quizzes!
Mean_genie
Not disputing what you say, mean-genie, but I was looking at a church marriage register recently that began in 1837 and ended mid 1980s, and that was in what I presumed had always been the standard two per side format from the start of civil registration. I've never actually seen a four per page marriage register. I shall make it a goal to keep looking at marriage registers till I find one!
The interesting thing about this particular register was that it hadn't been filled up, but after the last marriage (mid 1980s), there was a note saying something like "Register discontinued on the instructions of the Registrar General - invalid format" That's presumably a message that didn't get through to the vicar at Whitechapel, Lancs as mentioned in my first post in this thread.
On churches being economical with registers, I've come across several that continued using their pre-civil registration registers for their copy. Blackburn Cathedral must have had dozens printed before civil registration, as they were still using them up well into the 1840s - and they were certainly a very busy church!
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Lancashire: Stevenson, Wild, Holden, Jepson Worcs/Staffs: Steventon, Smith East London & Suffolk: Guest, Scrutton East London: Palfreman (prev Tyneside), Bissell, Collis, Dearlove, Ettridge Herts: Camac, Collis, Mason, Dorrington, Siggens Marylebone & Sussex: Cole London & Huntingdonshire: Freeman Bowland: Marsden, Noble Shropshire: Guest Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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