For what reasons might a known father be omitted on a marriage record?

[ghostnorris]

I've encountered an instance of a father's name and profession being left blank (drawn a line through), even though who his father was was very clear. His parents were married and had been for over a decade before his birth, and he got his middle name from his father's first name (Gilbert). I'm not sure whether the father left the family at any point, but he died in the same city as his son's birth several years after said marriage record in which his name is omitted.

Could this be a case of bad blood, or of the son learning that his on-paper father wasn't his biological one? Presumably this wasn't known at birth, since he wouldn't have been given his father's name as a middle name. Any thoughts?

[Billyblue]

Could be a case of 'bad blood' , family dispute, etc.

My dad's paternal grandfather was listed as 'the late Mr C J Denys' in reports of marriages of two of his children, but his death certificate is dated about 20 years after those events!
And on the DC (Sydney, NSW), with information given by a daughter-in-law, there is no mention of his second marriage in Queensland.

Dawn M

[Thornwood]

I have the same on my husband's grandfather's marriage certificate. He was illegitimate and brought up by his grandparents. Even as recently as the 60s this often happened and the child believed that the grandparents were the parents. In my case my ancestor named his grandfather as his father on his marriage certificate. It has a line drawn through it. Not sure if he believed it to be true or maybe he thought the man who brought him up deserved to be named as 'father'. Anyhow someone must have put the boy right about his parentage. Not sure when the line would have been put through it.

[rosie99]

Do you have his birth certificate 

[AntonyMMM]

. In my case my ancestor named his grandfather as his father on his marriage certificate. It has a line drawn through it. Not sure if he believed it to be true or maybe he thought the man who brought him up deserved to be named as 'father'. Anyhow someone must have put the boy right about his parentage. Not sure when the line would have been put through it.

A simple correction done at the time would be crossed through, and should be numbered and initialled.

If there is a marginal note explaining the correction, then it was done later.... that should be dated.

However, if it is a church wedding,  vicars are rather lax in following GRO rules and often just cross through any mistake made at the time with no explanation at all.