Barbary Tait (nee Mason) born about 1804 in Bamburgh, (or Ancroft /Belford )

[Craclyn]

If it was about 1824 then it cannot be a Presbyterian marriage in England. They would have had to hop over the border to a Scottish church or may have had an "Irregular Cross Border Marriage" where renegade priests performed the ceremony at the toll stations on the border.

[c-side]

As Craclyn says, you will not find an RC or Presbyterian marriage in England in 1824 - it was against the law.  Hardwicke's Marriage Act 1754 prevented irregular marriges (jumping the broomstick etc.) and only allowed marriages to take place in the Church of England.  The only exemptions were Jews and Quakers.  That's why so many northern non-conformists went over the border to Scotland where they could marry in the church of their choice.

I have come across one Presbyterian register where the minister has recorded the marriages of his congregation and the Scottish churches in which they were married but this is not common.

I have checked the Northumberland marriage index 1812 - 1837 but your couple is not there.  Nor do they appear in the Berwick Advertiser records of cross-border (irregular) marriages but this is not comprehensive.

It would be worth looking at the Scotlands people website - it can be searched for free and, although it is a pay-to-view site, units can be bought a few at a time rather than having to pay a yearly subscription.

Christine

[Grandies]

Thank you for your help and advice Christine and Cracklyn. I have.heard about irregular marriages.  One lady looked at some records for me but without success.  I thought of the Presbyterian marriage out of desperation!  Also,  another researcher found baptisms for the children from 1828 on,  at the Lowick Presbyterian Church.
It sounds like I will need to check Scotland's People.
Thanks again,
Eileen
 

[Craclyn]

Good luck Grandies. I sympathise with your search as my own William Cracket and Elizabeth Tait who also baptized their children in Presbyterian churches in the Lowick area and married sometime around the early 1830s are another example of a couple who chose not to marry in the CofE and are therefore without trace. Who knows, we may even turn out to be related if we ever manage to tie down marriages that can help us to take our respective Tait lines further back.

[Grandies]

Thanks Craclyn. I noticed that you were researching your Tait family too. I have checked some Scottish births for Thomas Tait in Berwickshire on Family Search. A couple look interesting, but hard to imagine how a couple from Channelkirk, and Bamburgh crossed paths in 1820's
Lets hope we both have a breakthrough soon. This pair are my "stone wall" .
Best wishes, Eileen

[Craclyn]

Taits are interesting challenge Grandies. There are a lot of them on both sides of the border and they tended to use family first names. Add in the extra complication of missing non-conformist records and it can take a while to make any progress. Some day, hopefully.....

[Multifira]

Sorry this may be a bit late.
I am researching my Grandfathers family ( Nesbitt ) His mother was an Ellen Tait from Middleton in Northumberland. Her Mother was a Barbary Tait also from Middleton. Ellen's husband, my Great Grandfather JOhn died in Gateshead in 1904 aged 30.

So far I have been able to trace Barbary Tait and her offspring back to 1841 in the Census series.

It seems that Neither Barbary or her daughter, Ellen, my great grandmother married. I remember my Grandmother telling me this as a secret!!

I am doing quite well with my various family histories but am intrigued at the first name Barbary. Have you any information?

Regards   Deryk

[Grandies]

Good to hear you are having success with your Taits Deryk.
I am no further forward unfortunately.
From what I have seen, Barbary and Barbar seem to be interchangeable about this time.
We certanly have many Barbara descendant from Barbary back in 1800's
Good luck with your line.
Eileen