*COMPLETE* Help with marriage certs...

[HeatherL]

I have 2 marriage certs, but to be honest, even though I can't make out half of the writing on them it almost seems as if they are for the same couple...

Cert 1 is for the marriage of Robert Cook to Mary Marsh (according to SP, I think it says Marshall), taking place in Tillicoultry on the 20th of the month.
Cert 2 is for the marriage of Robert Cook to Mary Marshall, taking place in Alva on the 1st of the month (witnesses listed, but I can't make out names).

From what I can make out on them, it seems like they got married in Alva, and then went on to Tillicoultry where the minister there entered it into the church records again... only that doesn't make a whole lot of sense...

[suegill]

In this month Robert Cook in this parish and Mary Marshall were married by the xxxxxx Duncan Alva


March 24th day 1804.  Robert Cook in the Parish of Tullicoutery (?) and Mary Marshall of this parish gave up their name to be proclaimed in order to marriage.  Dies paid married April 20 Witnesses James xx and Wm Marshall

Their names Cook and Marshall are at the side with an X for thier mark.

[HeatherL]

The first one is a record from tillicoultry parish (Robert Cook from tillicoultry)
The second one is a record from Alva (Mary Marshall from Alva).

If the first one is a tillicoultry record and says that they were married by XXXX Duncan, Alva; how probable is it that both records are referring to the same marriage?

I'm reading the tillicoultry entry as been a random record rather than an actual marriage proclamation.

Dies paid?

[Isabel H]

The OPRs record proclamation of Banns and the date of the actual marriage is not always recorded.  If the parties lived in different parishes then the Banns were called in both of them.
1)In this month Robert Cook in this Parish and Mary Marshall were married by the Rev. Mr Duncan, Alva.
2)March 24th Day 1804 Robert Cook in the Parish of Tillicoultry and Mary Marshall in this Parish gave up their names to be proclaimed in order to marriage dues paid married April 20th Witnesses James Liddell(?) and Wm Marshall
So Robert is from Tillicoultry and Mary from Alva, and they were married in Alva.
These registers were kept by the church and the couple did not sign them. The cross is more likely to have been added by someone checking through the entries. Their names at the side of the page are just the indexing system commonly used.

[HeatherL]

Thanks Isabel and thanks Sue The two different entries were confusing me a bit.  How on earth did you guys manage to read all of that?! I can usually make out the key words (only because I'm looking for them), but most of the time the rest looks like pretty scribbles. Is there a knack to reading these records? Can you get books or anything...?

[Isabel H]

How on earth did you guys manage to read all of that?! .......Is there a knack to reading these records? Can you get books or anything...?

It's just practice! The style is not much different from what I was taught at school years ago! Knowing the form the records usually take helps too.
The only books I know of are for older styles of writing, but there is an 18th century sample alphabet on www.scottishhandwriting.com
Isabel

[Eyesee]

DUES paid

Ian C

[HeatherL]

Thanks Isabel and Ian
   Really appreciate the help!!!