Meaning of Mr

[Ebelvi]

Hi everybody,
Is there a specific reason why in birth, marriage or death registers 'Mr' is added before (or after) the name? Most of the time nothing is added...
 

[philipsearching]

Use of Mr in parish registers usually implied that the man was of higher status than ordinary people.  Not necessarily a gentleman (gentlemen would probably have Gent written after their name) of landowner status, but most likely of yeoman status (farmers, merchants and so on).  In Victorian times Mr could apply to the professional classes.

Philip

(ADDED: if you have an ancestor noted as Mr, you may well find that he had a public position such as mayor or magistrate, and there is a good chance that he may have left a Will).

[Ebelvi]

Thanks, Philip.
Now what is the meaning of Mr Thompson and Miss Hawking in their marriage record?
Most of the time the groom is a bachelor. Would Mr Thompson mean he was married before marrying Miss Hawking?

[philipsearching]

Mr is no indication of whether a man was or was not married - it just identifies him as an adult male.

The general rule was and still is:
Mr - adult male
Mrs - female, married, widowed, or divorced
Miss - unmarried female either adult or child



Philip

[stanmapstone]

This subject has been addressed before on RootsChat see https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=825191.0

Stan

[Ebelvi]

Many thanks, everybody.