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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: cally_c on Tuesday 16 October 18 16:54 BST (UK)
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Hello everyone,
Please bear with me - this may be a little long-winded! Is it at all possible that a couple married twice?
I'm currently researching my 3xgreat grandparents, Charles Redfern (bapt 1824 in Walton on Trent) and Ann Grundy (b1824 in Belton Leics).
I have two possible marriages for them, one in Birmingham on 15th Feb 1848, the other in Ashby-de-la-Zouch on 3rd May 1849. Both marriages have the same father's names - James Redfern and John Grundy.
The couple lived in Overseal after their marriage, the banns were read there (groom's parish) in 1849 & they state the couple married in Ashby (bride's parish).
I haven't been able to find them in the 1841 census with any certainty, neither Charles nor Ann were living with their parents. It's possible they were working as servants and moved around.
I can't find any other possible married couples in the 1851 census that fit name/age etc, so I'm leaning towards the idea that they did marry twice. But why?
I think I'm going to order both GRO certs to see if the father's occupations match up, I only have access to the 1849 marriage image on FindMyPast which shows John Grundy as a shoemaker & James Redfern as a servant.
Thanks for reading,
Caroline
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The 1848 marriage entry is available to view at Ancestry.
John Grundy is said to be a Shoemaker and James Redfern, a Servant.
Marriage was at St Martin, Birmingham - 15 February 1848
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Addition to my previous post:
Comparison of signatures.
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Thank you BumbleB.
It does indeed look like they married twice, very odd. The signatures are very similar.
Could you possibly send me the link to the image on Ancestry? I do have a subscription, but it hasn't come up in any of my searches.
Thank you again,
Caroline
Actually, ignore that request, I've found it! Thanks!
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OK, fine.
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I have one of these - same couple married in different locations, different witnesses, some time elapsed between the marriages. My thinking is that the first marriage may have been kept secret for some reason (perhaps for fear of the wife losing her employment, or because of family disapproval).
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I'm beginning to think that too.
They were both working as servants on the same street, so possibly the same house, in Birmingham at the time of their first marriage. I think servants marrying and/or married women working was frowned upon, in which case Ann would probably have nowhere to live.
So they waited until they could leave the area & find work elsewhere and then re-marry 'respectably.'
A Grundy is a witness on the second marriage & not the first, so perhaps it was totally secret from the families and they'd have looked like they were living in sin if they hadn't married again!