Double entry for marriage?

[corndolly]

Hi all

Back again, seem to be picking out nothing but odd queries tonight.

Have taken the following from

1871 census
Joseph Grant b.1852 Portsmouth, gunksom servant on board vessels, off Drakes Island Plymouth Sound.

Joseph Grant b.1853 Portsmouth, ordinary seaman R.N., Vessels, at sea .

1881 census
Joseph Grant b.1851 Salisbury, soldier 7th BDE Royal Artillery, Anglesea Barracks, Portsea.
married
wife - Mary, b. Bishops Waltham, Herts + 3 children, Joseph, George, Dorcas.

Appreciate Joseph Grant is a relatively common name, ergo must be 3 different people, but when I check BMD for possible surname for Mary , found the following

June 1874 Portsea Vol 2b p. 720  Joseph Grant /Mary Houghton
March 1875 Portsea Vol 2b p. 593 Joseph Grant/ Mary Houghton.

Admittedly there were two other names on each entry, but what is the likelihood of 2 seperate Mary Houghtons marrying 2 separate Joseph Grants?

I'm actually trying to trace a Joseph Grant b. 1849c, Winterbourne Stoke, Wilts, which I believe to be the soldier.

Has anyone else found this sort of thing before?

corndolly

[mshrmh]

Both these marriages are listed on the IGI as extracted from the parish records of St Mary's Portsea. The first was 25 May 1874 - their ages are listed as 23 & 22; the second is 21 March 1875 ages 24 & 23. They have Mary's surname spelled Houghten in the first entry.
It does look like the same couple; though if the age is accurate probably not "your" Joseph.

[corndolly]

Thank you mshrmh

sorry for the delay in reply.
corndolly

[behindthefrogs]

I have seen this happen a number of times in the past and it always involved a soldier.  This reason seems to be that a serving soldier needed the permission of his commanding officer to marry.  The first marriage would have taken place without that permission and the second one was for the army's benefit.

When I have found them in the past they have always been in churches which were a distance apart usually with the second one of them taking place overseas.  I had assumed in these cases that the army did not know about the first marriage and I am thus confused by them both being in the same church. 

David