Author Topic: Advice sought re Somerset registrar offices please  (Read 6431 times)

Offline ranaridibunda

  • RootsChat Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 127
    • View Profile
Advice sought re Somerset registrar offices please
« on: Sunday 02 August 09 23:30 BST (UK) »
Hi Lister

Please can someone advise me, excusing my ignorance in so doing :-)

Most of my immediate family, at least for a couple of generations, were born, married and died in Bath. I have obtained all their BMD certificates from the registrar in Bath and hence had copies of originals (with signatures for marriages). If you apply to the GRO obviously you have a typed or handwritten copy but not of the original. I want now to get a local registrar's marriage certificate and am not sure to where I should apply. The marriage in question was registered (according to the GRO) in the first quarter of 1860 at Wincanton between Robert John BEATON and Sylvina (or Selvina or Sylvina) Smith GREGORY.  As I said, I know I am showing my ignorance - can someone advise?  Thank you for reading this.

Regards
Karen
RIDOUT from Sherborne, Bath and London .... please visit my RIDOUT website and blog :-)

Offline dee-jay

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 993
    • View Profile
Re: Advice sought re Somerset registrar offices please
« Reply #1 on: Monday 03 August 09 01:27 BST (UK) »
Using the FreeBMD site http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl

Enter the details and then press search and you will find the reference for Wincanton.  Click on the underlined 'Wincanton' and it will bring up another page which says 'The district Wincanton spans the boundaries of the counties of Dorset and Somerset; information about it can be found here: click on 'here' and you will find a list showing all the parishes within the district showing the registers are divided between South Somerset and Poole.  Click on the relevant one for Wincanton [South Somerset] and it will give you these details:

The Register Office, Maltravers House, Petters Way, Yeovil, BA20 1SP.
Tel: 01935 411230. Fax: 01935 413993.
E-mail: yeovilro[at]somerset.gov.uk

However, the GRO reference is of no use to a local register office and, unless they have now indexed the marriages, it is unlikely they can afford to check registers of all the churches/chapels within that huge registration district for the 13 weeks that make up the March quarter of 1860 to locate said marriage.  It is a mammoth task!

I suggest you make initial enquiries via email and, if they cannot assist, you will need to obtain a copy from GRO to establish where the marriage was conducted.  If in a parish church for which the Somerset Record Office holds the church register, you could minimize costs by obtaining a photocopy from SRO which would give original signatures [if any].  I went through a similar process some years ago to obtain original signatures for a marriage in Staffordshire in the 1890s in order to confirm the identity of a witness.

Update:
You could suggest a likely parish [perhaps North Cadbury?] in your initial enquiry to the registrar.
SOM/Chard/Combe St Nicholas/Ilminster:  Dean[e]/Doble/Jeffery/Burt;  DEV/Yarcombe:  Dean/Gill/Every; 
BRK/Newbury:  Westall/Green/Lewis/Canning;  WIL/Allcannings:  Hiscock/Amor;  Froxfield:  Hobbs/Green;  HAM/Kingsclere:  Martin/Hiscock/Westall;  WAR/Marton/Bubbenhall:  Glenn/Holmes;  STS/Yoxall/Hamstall Ridware/Barton-u-Needwood:  Holmes/Dainty;  STS/Brewood/Codsall/Penkridge/Hatherton:  Dean[e]; GLA/Aberdare:  Dean/Dane

Census information: Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline ranaridibunda

  • RootsChat Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 127
    • View Profile
Re: Advice sought re Somerset registrar offices please
« Reply #2 on: Monday 03 August 09 08:38 BST (UK) »
Hi Dee-jay

WOW - thank you so much for all that information. I am ashamed to say that despite having studied my family history for a while I have never had to find a local registrar because the huge majority of my relatives post-1837 were hatched, matched and despatched in Bath and the Bath BMD site links directly to the Registrar from whom one can order online.

I think the quickest, if not the cheapest, way would be to get the GRO copy and then I will have the exact date. Still, for all future reference, or if I really must have that signature, your advice is absolutely spot on. Thank you again :-)

Regards
Karen
RIDOUT from Sherborne, Bath and London .... please visit my RIDOUT website and blog :-)

Offline ranaridibunda

  • RootsChat Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 127
    • View Profile
Re: Advice sought re Somerset registrar offices please
« Reply #3 on: Monday 03 August 09 08:48 BST (UK) »
Me again Dee-jay

Further to my last - you must be psychic. I found the couple in the 1861 census, a year after their marriage. She was with her parents (probably pregnant) but he was in Galhampton, North Cadbury - she was in Ashwick which isn't in the Wincanton registration district list. So... I will at least email and see if I can get anywhere. Thanks again :-)

Karen
RIDOUT from Sherborne, Bath and London .... please visit my RIDOUT website and blog :-)


Offline dee-jay

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 993
    • View Profile
Re: Advice sought re Somerset registrar offices please
« Reply #4 on: Monday 03 August 09 12:47 BST (UK) »
I have to admit to not being psychic :o  but I did make an 'educated' guess ::) based on a little forward research.  ;D
SOM/Chard/Combe St Nicholas/Ilminster:  Dean[e]/Doble/Jeffery/Burt;  DEV/Yarcombe:  Dean/Gill/Every; 
BRK/Newbury:  Westall/Green/Lewis/Canning;  WIL/Allcannings:  Hiscock/Amor;  Froxfield:  Hobbs/Green;  HAM/Kingsclere:  Martin/Hiscock/Westall;  WAR/Marton/Bubbenhall:  Glenn/Holmes;  STS/Yoxall/Hamstall Ridware/Barton-u-Needwood:  Holmes/Dainty;  STS/Brewood/Codsall/Penkridge/Hatherton:  Dean[e]; GLA/Aberdare:  Dean/Dane

Census information: Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline ranaridibunda

  • RootsChat Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 127
    • View Profile
Re: Advice sought re Somerset registrar offices please
« Reply #5 on: Monday 03 August 09 13:12 BST (UK) »
Oh I see - you looked at the census too huh - that's 'cheating'  :D  I wouldn't burst the psychic bubble if I were you - it may come in handy again :-)

Thanks again
Karen
RIDOUT from Sherborne, Bath and London .... please visit my RIDOUT website and blog :-)

Offline dee-jay

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 993
    • View Profile
Re: Advice sought re Somerset registrar offices please
« Reply #6 on: Monday 03 August 09 13:48 BST (UK) »
Spooky ....  You could be right after all:  I didn't find Robert in 1861 because he was mistranscribed 'BOSTON' on FindMyPast!  But I did find Frederick G born 'Cadbury' ..... ;D
SOM/Chard/Combe St Nicholas/Ilminster:  Dean[e]/Doble/Jeffery/Burt;  DEV/Yarcombe:  Dean/Gill/Every; 
BRK/Newbury:  Westall/Green/Lewis/Canning;  WIL/Allcannings:  Hiscock/Amor;  Froxfield:  Hobbs/Green;  HAM/Kingsclere:  Martin/Hiscock/Westall;  WAR/Marton/Bubbenhall:  Glenn/Holmes;  STS/Yoxall/Hamstall Ridware/Barton-u-Needwood:  Holmes/Dainty;  STS/Brewood/Codsall/Penkridge/Hatherton:  Dean[e]; GLA/Aberdare:  Dean/Dane

Census information: Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline ranaridibunda

  • RootsChat Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 127
    • View Profile
Re: Advice sought re Somerset registrar offices please
« Reply #7 on: Monday 03 August 09 14:24 BST (UK) »
Oh - the old 'find the first child and you find the marriage parish' theory - although, a young bride was also perhaps just as likely to have had her first child back home with mama - not surprising given the huge mortality rate - it must have been a scary prospect.  In this case, the theory would have been quite misleading but fortunately Ashwick isn't in the Keynsham registration district - phew :-)  You've just got to love the intricacies of family history!

K
RIDOUT from Sherborne, Bath and London .... please visit my RIDOUT website and blog :-)

Offline dee-jay

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 993
    • View Profile
Re: Advice sought re Somerset registrar offices please
« Reply #8 on: Monday 03 August 09 20:19 BST (UK) »
... fortunately Ashwick isn't in the Keynsham registration district - phew :-)  You've just got to love the intricacies of family history!
You've just lost me! ??? I thought we were into Wincanton Reg District?
SOM/Chard/Combe St Nicholas/Ilminster:  Dean[e]/Doble/Jeffery/Burt;  DEV/Yarcombe:  Dean/Gill/Every; 
BRK/Newbury:  Westall/Green/Lewis/Canning;  WIL/Allcannings:  Hiscock/Amor;  Froxfield:  Hobbs/Green;  HAM/Kingsclere:  Martin/Hiscock/Westall;  WAR/Marton/Bubbenhall:  Glenn/Holmes;  STS/Yoxall/Hamstall Ridware/Barton-u-Needwood:  Holmes/Dainty;  STS/Brewood/Codsall/Penkridge/Hatherton:  Dean[e]; GLA/Aberdare:  Dean/Dane

Census information: Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk