Catherine and William Venables

[kassie]

Hi Osprey,

I went on to www.glamro.gov.uk/ and www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/Cardiff/#Archives  to find local newspapers.  Can they be accessed on line, as I can not find them.

Kassie

[osprey]

The marriage certificate should state who married them, underneath the details of the fathers. It usually says after Banns, or after something else by me and then a signature.

The newspapers are not available on line. You need to contact the archive or library and ask them to look up for you. Fingers crossed.

[JAP]

Hi All,

I don't understand the query re Superintendent Registrar.  Why would this matter?  In Scottish certs (normally one gets an image of a page with two or three records) I've often seen entries registered by an Assistant Registrar and then the page signed at the bottom by the actual (boss) Registrar ...

Why did they have a Registry Office marriage?  Who knows.  But perhaps (I'd have to check back on dates) it might have been because they'd had a pre-nuptial child - it seems likely that this child was Alexander's given that the couple were living at the same address when they married - and then, when Catherine became pregnant again, she insisted on marriage and didn't wish to go to church "with her apron held high" as the saying goes; or, on the other hand, they might happily have agreed to be married but have preferred to do this quietly rather than show up at church; or, then again, perhaps they'd portrayed themselves as married and didn't want Banns to show that they actually hadn't been    Etc ...

Anyway, I'm still looking forward to what's on the birth cert of Catherine Howell THOMAS 

Cheers,

JAP

[osprey]

I was just asking to get all the details. With a registrar's certificate, there's no wait. But it could be by licence or by certificate. There's more info here under 'Rest of Certificate'
http://home.clara.net/dixons/Certificates/marriages.htm#COL9

 
The lack of family members as Catherine's witnesses puzzles me. Unless it was a working day and they found whoever they could.

[osprey]

December first 1878 appears to have been a Sunday 

http://www.infoplease.com/calendar.php?year=1878&submit=Go&yview=1

[Arranroots]

 it might have been because they'd had a pre-nuptial child - it seems likely that this child was Alexander's given that the couple were living at the same address when they married -

I agree that there could be any number of explanations for a register office marriage - different faiths being another one - but it was incredibly common for husband and wife to give the same address on the wedding cert.

It didn't necessarily mean that they were cohabiting, but might be an indicator that one or other was from out of the parish.  Which is another reason to go for a register office wedding.

I am generalising a little here, but you get the idea!

kind regards, Arranroots 

[kassie]

the marriage certificate reads

 by Certificate before me Jeremiah Daniel Registrar   

         F.C. Scott Deputy Sup. registrar

I sent for birth certificate yesterday. So now we wait.

Arranroots, Osprey and Jap,

Thank you again for your help.

cheers.