Mottram parish registers problem

[sparkler]

My 2 x g grandparents George Barden and Catherine Kirk, were married in April 1845 in Mottram Parish church, and I have the certificate. There is no mention of a name for the bride's father, and I assumed that she didn't know who her father was. I've found possible baptisms for her in Ireland ,but didn't know whether I was looking for an illegitimate child or not.
I've just looked on FindMyPast at the parish registers, and to my surprise there are loads of people where no father is mentioned, and I believe the vicar didn't bother to ask them for the info. Is this a possibility? and if so there must be lots of people like me, very frustrated! There can't have been so many illegitimate people in one town 
Catherine wasn't living with her family before she got married, so it is all down to guesswork,  tho I found a possible sibling for her in Dukinfield, Brigid Quirk.

[emeltom]

There is a Catherine Kirk in the 1841 Census living in Caroline Street, Dukinfield, born Ireland. She is a Cotton Weaver which fits with the 1851 Census where she is a Power Loom Weaver

1841 HO107/110/6/F6/p7

1851 HO107/2238/F435/p34

Emeltee

[AdrianB38]

... I've just looked on FindMyPast at the parish registers, and to my surprise there are loads of people where no father is mentioned, and I believe the vicar didn't bother to ask them for the info. Is this a possibility?...

How extraordinary - I just did a bit of browsing of the register in that era, and there are certainly an extraordinary number of omitted fathers. I think someone would have to research to see if there was a pattern we can't see, e.g., only asked if he thought they weren't in his baptism register.... He shouldn't have left it like that but who knows? I suppose that they might be a bit of a rum lot up there    

But yes, I think you are right to highlight it! Never seen that before at all....

[GrahamH]

There are a number of omitted fathers' names in marriage entries in the next door Glossop Parish at around the same time. I don't know the reason why but there was a lot of movement between towns/parishes at the time as people moved between cotton mills for work so maybe it involved people who were incomers to the parishes.

[sparkler]

Thanks for your replies.
I had the censuses already, emeltom, and I think I've exhausted all possibilities, unless I find a DNA match!
If the fathers were not included because the person came from another area, it is scandalous!! I am really annoyed 

[sallyyorks]

There are a number of omitted fathers' names in marriage entries in the next door Glossop Parish at around the same time. I don't know the reason why but there was a lot of movement between towns/parishes at the time as people moved between cotton mills for work so maybe it involved people who were incomers to the parishes.

Yes they did seem to move around for mill work

I have mill worker ancestors from the Mottram and Tintwistle area and one branch had moved there from the West Riding, over the Pennines. The 1841 census is confusing because they are in the same households but are all quite young. What looks to have happened is that a group of young siblings, and possibly also cousins, moved there without their parents

They also ended up in 'Dukinfield'.