FreeReg record. How did the transcriber know?

[teragram31510]

Hello again.

I have just found the record in Seavington St Mary parish records for 1791 of the marriage of John Poole and Hannah Rowsell.

Looked at my notes and found that I'd recorded this marriage - plus the two witnesses (one of whom could help prove a point). But I can't see any mention of witnesses in the actual record (indeed I've trawled through many pages of the parish records and not seen any witnesses for anything mentioned as yet.)

I wondered if the FreeReg entry, where I almost certainly saw this marriage first, was based on Bishop's Transcripts - but no, it clearly says "Parish Register".

So where did the witness information come from? And is it at all reliable do you think?

[Gadget]

The images seem to be on Ancestry.

add - set is titled  Somerset, England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914

[teragram31510]

Hello Gadget,

You mean there are other/different records?

I'm looking at "Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1531-1812
Seavington St Mary
1741-1812"
on Ancestry.co.uk !

[DRH123]

The FreeREG transcription was probably done from microfiche images of the register obtained from the SHC, or digital images scanned from the fiches. The quality of such images can be quite poor but whatever was legible should be fairly accurately reported. Certainly the transcriber will not have made up witnesses that weren't there.

As Gadget reports, images are now available on Ancestry. They show the same witnesses as FreeREG in this case. This raises the question, what "actual record" are you looking at? (The BTs do often omit marriage witnesses.)

David

Ah, I see you've answered that. Gadget has added the correct set. (A law was brought in in 1754 that marriages had to be recorded in a separate register in a particular format. Ancestry put those registers in a different set. Generally there are no marriages after 1754 in the 1531-1812 set. (Sometimes the parson or clerk continued to enter them for a while in the general register as well as the new one.)

[BumbleB]

The images referred to by Gadget do show the names of the witnesses AND groom, bride, and witnesses all signed the register.  Another bonus 

[Gadget]

Just to add that this record was returned at the top of my search results.

[teragram31510]

Thank you for your replies, particularly David with the explanation. Live and learn!

I'm a signed-in but non-paying member of Ancestry at present and was surprised to be able to view the images I could - obviously not the best!

Once I've checked all I want on FindMyPast for the moment I'll have to take a short sub. to Ancestry.

Thanks again.

[Janelle]

If you prefer not to subscribe to either company, and you belong to your local library and they have library editions for these,
then you can do your searches at the library.
You may be able to do this from an at home login.
View for free at either location, and the big winner is to download for free.