Can anyone find a record of this marriage?

[Isabel H]

I found this newspaper announcement of a marriage, and want to find out
the bride's first name, but can't find any official record on FreeBMD or FindMyPast of a James Thompson/Thomson marrying a Jackson.  Can anyone help, please?  Maybe the marriage was not registered, or is missing from the indexes I've looked at.

"At Netherwitton, on the 22nd inst., Mr James Thompson, Rothbury, to Miss Jackson, eldest daughter of the late Joseph Jackson, Esq., of Colderife" [Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury of 27th March 1852]

It's puzzling, because as far as I can tell from censuses and newspapers, the only Jacksons at Coldrife at that date were the innkeepers at the Three Half Moons, siblings whose parents were Joseph Jackson & Mary Dunn, Longhorsley. However they don't fit the information given.  Joseph Jackson, innkeeper at Coldrife d. 4 Apr 1852, and his sister Isabella (eldest daughter in their family) d aged 71 on 1 June 1869, apparently unmarried. 

[Jebber]

Is this any goood?

1852 James THOMPSON and Mary JACKSON
Whitehaven March qtr vol 19b page 0554

[emeltom]

They married 1st March so not the same couple.

Emeltom

[Isabel H]

Thanks Jebber.  I did see that one, but because Whitehaven is on the Cumbrian coast and the announcement says "At Netherwitton", I've been reluctant to spend money on it.  I've picked a few wrong entries recently and it's getting expensive.

Ah, thank you emeltom.  That rules that one out.

[jonw65]

FamilySearch has only indexed one marriage at Netherwitton in 1852, William Curry + Elizabeth White on 11 April.
Can see the BT here, it is entry number 18
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-67S6-5Z?i=178&cc=1309819&cat=1809100

Go back to image 175 and we can see number 17, back in January 1851 (Robert Potts + Ann Elizabeth Potts)
1853 was a busy year with three marriages! Images 183, 184.
No sign at all of one on 22 March 1852.

1855 Directory
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8-kGAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA760&dq=#v=onepage&q&f=false

Has the Rev Richard Wearing, no other places of worship seem to be mentioned.

[Jebber]

A number of  marriages failed to reach the index, especially in the earlier years of registration. Covered in the book Comedy of Errors, or The Marriage Registers of England and Wales 1837-1889 by Michael Whitfield Foster.

[WolfieSmith]

TheGenealogist claims to have Netherwitton marriages 1769-1856, but nothing showing in their free search.

I wonder if the marriage fell through at the last minute and it was too late to pull the newspaper notices. Marriage set for 22nd, notice in Newcastle Courant on 26th and Journal and Guardian and Tyne Mercury on 27th.

Courant and Journal have the grooms abode as Rothley instead of Rothbury. Only a small place, only 2 James Thompsons in 1851. Oldest one is 38, still there in 1861, unmarried.

Alan.

[Isabel H]

Thank you all for your contributions. 

I hadn't considered the possibility the marriage might never have taken place. I wouldn't have expected anyone to place an announcement until afterwards.

It's all very frustrating, and perhaps a reminder not to believe all that's in the papers. At least it's not just that I've missed something obvious!

[WolfieSmith]

The 3 marriage notices are identical apart from the Rothbury / Rothley difference in the Guardian and Tyne Mercury, presumable a typo, so definitely all submitted by the same person. I wonder if Isabella's brother Joseph dying less than a fortnight after the planned wedding date had something to do with it, perhaps he took ill and the wedding was postponed. Maybe he put the notices in the papers.

There are other cases, see below a similar mystery, if the link works.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=646439.0

Alan.