Register Office Wedding - Stockton-on-Tees

[Greensleeves]

It's interesting that John Sedgwick's other marriages were in church.  All the info/opinions given here have made me realise that I need to rummage into my paper files to extract everything I have about Mary Rudd.  I must admit that I have never come across the name 'Stroughain' before, and some sources I have seen have it as 'Stroughair'.  Has anyone else come across this name?  I've run queries on the Durham Records Online site and drawn a blank with both.

Many thanks to you all for your continuing interest in this thread; interesting statistics Stan, and useful link.

Kind regards to all,
Greensleeves

[Colin Cruddace]

A Register Office marriage avoided the calling, and cost of Banns at the parish church(es) of the couple.

Stan

I have the impression (perhaps wrongly) that Register Offices were also required to make a formal notice of a forthcoming marriage, instead of Banns, for the required 3 weeks period. This being accomplished by details on their notice board. A 'quick' marriage would require a Registrar's certificate in the same way as a Bishop's Licence for a Church wedding.

Colin

[stanmapstone]

One of the parties intending marriage had to give notice under his or her hand to the superintendent-registrar of the district, within which the parties had dwelt for not less than seven days then next proceeding; or, if they dwellt in different districts, they had to give like notice to the superintendent-registrar of each district.
The notice was in the form of a schedule, which the superintendent-registrar furnished on being applied to, and had to be filled up with the following particulars:--
The name and surname of each of the parties.
Whether bachelor or widower, spinster or widow.
Their respective rank, profession, or calling.
Whether minors, or of full age.
Their respective dwelling-places.
Whether they have resided within the district more than one calendar month, or if not, how long.
In what church or building the marriage is to be solemnized.
The districts and county in which the other party resides when they dwell in different districts.

A copy of such notice was entered by the superintendent-registrar in the marriage notice-book, which was open at all reasonable times, without fee, to all persons desirous of inspecting the same.

A Superintendent Registrar was also empowered to issue a Superintendent Registrar's Certificate only seven days after the couple's details had been entered in the Marriage Notice Book.


Stan

[Mean_genie]

There was a sting in the tail of this requirement in the first years of registration. Since banns were read aloud in churches on three successive Sundays, a Lords amendment to the 1836 Marriage Act required the marriage notices t be read aloud at meetings of the Board of Guardians of the Poor Law Union.

This did nothing for the public image of Register Office weddings, as you can imagine! Fortunately this was repealed n 1840, and from then on a notice in the Register Office did just fine.

Another complication was that the wording of the 1836 Act compelled the clergy of the Established Church to marry a couple on production of a Registrar's Certificate, but many clergy objected since this ran counter to the rubric of the Church of England regarding banns, where neither party resided in the parish, even though they both lived in the Registration District. From 1840 Superintendent Registrars were instructed only to issue certificates for a church marriage where at least one of the parties was a parishioner.

Mean_genie

[French King]

Hi There Greensleeves,
been doing some research on my Stroughair family and whoever you know from Durham is 100% my relative.My Great Grandfather,a Fellmonger,and this was through the family of boys was born in Durham in 1871.His name is William Thomas Stroughair who travelled off to Dublin to continue his career as a Fellmonger,in  this time my own Grandfather RIP carried on this trade in Ireland and left to manage a Tannery in Burnley where I was born.My Grandfather being Edward (Eddie) Stroughair who had a brother Francis George Stroughair who died in the battle of Somme WW1 just attained his details.My uncle David Stroughair carried on the job of Fellmonger in Burnley for many years after my Grandfathers death until his own death after retiring from Lucas.Am tracing my Great Grandfathers brothers and Father who all derive from Durham so will keep you posted.My Great Grandfather William married a Mary Ellen Cordingley from Leeds the two married in Stokesley,Yorkshire in 1899.My Great Grandfather was born 1870 Haughton,District of Darlington.By the looks of records he had many brothers in Durham with names like John,William and Thomas being common with a William Gascoigne Stroughair standing out from all the rest,Gascoigne may be Norman so we may derive from the French still researching all this.Hope this gives you more to go off.
Regards Paul Stroughair   

[Greensleeves]

Hi Paul - Some interesting information there, I wonder if we do have a family link.

My 2x gt grandmother, Mary Rudd, married William Stroughair on 9th June 1831 in Stockton-upon-Tees.  William died in Stockton June Q 1844 and Mary Rudd Stroughair subsequently married John Sedgwick in 1845.  They should both be on the 1841 census but so far I've drawn a blank.  However, there are a lot of problems with the mis-spelling of the name.  So far I've come across Stroughain, Strowger, Stophir to mention but three.  Now, I am wondering if William and Mary Stroughair had children: they were married for 14 years, and during her second marriage Mary had three children.  However, I can't find any evidence that there were children of the marriage of William and Mary, but if you can find any I would be most interested.

Regards
GS