Marriages are instant, baptisms take longer
Two possibilities on Hunts Marriage Index,available on fiche from Hunts FHS, but as you don't give likely dates for the marriage, or baptism date and place of first child I can't separate them.
- 1798 John Bruce married Mary Bates at Godmanchester. Both otp (This marriage is on the IGI as a member submission on 30 Oct 1798. Whilst member submissions are very unreliable it should have given you a clue). The date is right as it appears on the BVRI with no additional detail.
- 1810 John Bruce m Mary Wignal at Abbotsley - PR transcript gives date as 24 Sep 1810, bachelor and spinster, both otp, both signed with an X, witnesses Mary Cade, and William Cade (Clerk). This one seems to fit better with Offord Darcy baptisms on the IGI, and this couple didn't baptise any children in Abbotsley.
There's a James Bruce age 67 buried at Offord Darcy on 31 March 1823. The only baptism I can find is on 10 Dec 1741 at Huntingdon St Mary & St Benedict son of Robert but this looks to be too early. Offord Darcy baptisms have been extracted onto the IGI and there doesn't appear to be any gaps, but the earliest baptism seems to be in 1784. The earliest burial on the NBI in Offord Darcy is in 1782 so it doesn't seem as though James was from that parish.
The only Bruce burials in Hunts 1650-1750 were in the parishes of Leighton Bromswold (1704), Hail Weston (1724) and James in Little Paxton (28 Oct 1750) plus other later ones in Lt Paxton. Lt Paxton baptisms have been extracted onto the IGI but there are no Bruces. I'm stuck! Perhaps he wasn't from Hunts. Whilst his 1777 marriage gives his parish of residence at the time of the marriage as Offord Darcy, it's not necessarily his birthplace
David