Irregular marriage - birth registration of children?

[Misha77]

That's good - a child should never be labelled for something they have no power over.  I appreciate the help.  Thank you.

[jaybelnz]

My great grandfather was widowed when he made his Irregular Marriage!  I'm sure his family were not at all pleased though, as they were very old school Baptists! 

Jeanne

[Misha77]

I can see on religious grounds it might be a good system especially if you didn't say want to marry in each other's church.  My interest is that to date I cannot find any form of marriage for my great-grandparents.  I have checked Groni and Scotlandspeople.  There is no evidence they married anyone at all or each other.  However they deferred to each other as man and wife and showed full responsibility to each other and their several children.  They were around 19 and 21 respectively when they met (well when they had their first child).  Their early married life was unsettled but by 1891 they were living in Greenock.  I cannot fathom it as they came from quite God-fearing folks but their motives have been lost in time.  The more so as their children had no idea about it.  It came to light in succeeding generations.

[andycand]

Hi

Is there another topic re your great-grandparents marriage? If not, what were there names and when was the first child born?

Apart from 1856 to 1860 Scottish birth registrations show date and place of parents marriage so any children born in Scotland in 1855 or after 1860 should have those details.

Andy

[Misha77]

Hi Andy - my eldest great uncle [according to his army papers] was probably born around August/September 1885.  On the logistics of pregnancy my great-grandparents were an item by late 1884 at least.  And you are right about the birth certificates - they usually hold the marriage details - that is if you can find any birth certificates.  Not I, nor older family members who did some searching before, have ever found the birth certificates.  A real family mystery.  They had twelve children in total - four died in Greenock as infants.  I can find their death certificates right enough [scotlands people have been very good] but not their birth registers.  Sorry, I'm misleading you.  They lived for a while in Midlothian and their second child was born there 1888 - they were not married at that time and the birth record  reflects it.  That is the only one I could get.