Swinbrook Marriages

[billseary]

I was looking for a marriage in the OFHS Swinbrook transcription this evening and noticed that a substantial proportion of the marriages had the bride and groom both from another parish: for example "1736, Feb 21 MAJOR James *both* Brize Norton. WIDDOWS Betty".
 
There are very few marriages before 1712 in the transcription and the use of Swinbrook by people from other parishes seems to have been steady until 1755 when marriage legislation tightened up. After that the practice seems to have died away.
 
Does anyone know what was special about Swinbrook?

Bill

[Iffley]

Bill -

I was looking for a marriage in the OFHS Swinbrook transcription this evening and noticed that a substantial proportion of the marriages had the bride and groom both from another parish: for example "1736, Feb 21 MAJOR James *both* Brize Norton. WIDDOWS Betty".
 
There are very few marriages before 1712 in the transcription and the use of Swinbrook by people from other parishes seems to have been steady until 1755 when marriage legislation tightened up. After that the practice seems to have died away.
 
Does anyone know what was special about Swinbrook?

Bill

Hugh Kearsey, OFHS's Project Co-ordinator, apologises for the delay in replying, and says:

"However, there are two possible reasons.  The most likely is that the Minister was willing to marry anybody from anywhere.  There were others than at Gretna Green!  Usually couples who did not want their parents or neighbours to know - or perhaps might object to the marriage.

The other possibility why it was popular (I noticed a lot came from Gloucestershire)  is thar the adjacent parish of Widford was a detached part of Gloucestershire and might have been run by the same Minister as Swinbrook.

A number of the Mitford family were buried at Swinbrook - but I don't think that was relevant ! "

Wendy
OFHS HelpDesk