Is this a RC wedding?

[jennywren001]

Andrew Fraser and Martha Cooper get married in Old Machar.

The OPR reads "Andrew Fraser in the parish of Fraserburgh and Martha Cooper in this Parish signified their purpose of marriage by Mr John Cadenhead, Elder and being thrice proclaimed, they were married on the 28th day of Nov 1826 by the Rev Charles Gordon Catholic Clergyman."

I'm used to seeing Elder and minister in the same sentence but I've never come across Elder and Catholic Clergyman together...can anyone enlighten me?
Thanks
Jen

[scotmum]

Charles Gordon certainly seems to have been a RC clergyman:

http://www.scalan.co.uk/StPeters.htm#

could the banns have been called in both their parishes, but the groom have been non RC, they then married in the bride's parish, and she was RC?

Have you seen:

http://genforum.genealogy.com/fraser/messages/2028.html

[scotmum]

Reading about his church, St Peter's, it seems that in timescale, the principal part of the congregation lived in the old parishes of St Nicholas and Old Machar.

[jennywren001]

Charles Gordon certainly seems to have been a RC clergyman:

http://www.scalan.co.uk/StPeters.htm#

could one party have been non RC?

Hi Scotmum,
I don't think Andrew was RC - as a couple they never lived in Old Machar as far as I can tell they always lived in Fraserburgh. If Charles Gordon was an RC clergyman this does appear to have been a RC marriage.

Jen

[carlineric]

Up until the late 1930s banns could only be called in a Church of Scotland church no matter what religion the parties practiced. Banns could be called in Episcopalian chapels but they also had to be made in the churches to which the parties belonged as parishioners by virtue of their residence. I have a case where the banns were called in the local Church of Scotland church and the marriage took place in the local Catholic chapel. It may be worth looking in the Catholic Records section of ScotlandsPeople to see if the marriage was recorded in a Catholic register.

Eric

[Forfarian]

FWIW the Church of Scotland was, in theory, supposed to record all marriages in the parish, (and all baptisms) regardless of denomination.

So there is nothing to stop a couple being proclaimed in the parish kirk but married by a clergyman of a different denomination. If one of them was a member of the C of S then they would almost certainly apply for the banns to be called there.

[carolineasb]

Has the Fasti been checked for a CofS Minister of the same name at that time?

Catholic in CofS terminology can mean the whole Christian Church and not necessarily "Roman Catholic".

[jennywren001]

From Scotmum's link I see bans were also called in Fraserburgh. I've checked the catholic records at SP for both marriages and birth and baptisms but nothing showing for the couple or their respective parents. The Rev Charles Gordon sounds a rather fascinating and much respected character I rather hope he married the couple.

It was only yesterday I confirmed who Martha's parents were - just had a look and they are still alive on the 1841 census living in Old Machar at 46 Gordon Street.  I've had a quick look at the Fasti but I'm not sure I'm seeing it in its entirety...almost hope I don't find another Charles Gordon.
many thanks for all the information
Jen

[Lodger]

Up until the passing of the Catholic Emancipation act by George IV in 1829, Catholics were obliged by law to notify the session clerk of the Church of Scotland parish(s) in which they resided of their intention to marry and were obliged to have the Banns proclaimed in the parish church.
(It wasn't until one hundred years later that the final Catholic Emancipation Act was passed, due to the refusal to allow a Corpus Christi procession on the streets of Carfin (Lanarkshire) in the 1920s).

My gt-gt-gt-grandparents were married in St Andrew's Catholic Church Glasgow in 1823. The entry in St Andrew's register has the information "The above parties were regularly proclaimed in the established church and produced a certificate to that effect from the session clerk, stating that no objections had been made against their intended marriage. They were also regularly proclaimed in the chapel here".
The established church record states they "Were married 21 July (1823) by Mr Andrew Scott Roman Catholic Clergyman in Glasgow".

Aberdeenshire was the heartland of Scottish Catholics and the clan Fraser was by tradition a Catholic clan.