Certificate Mistakes

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Whilst typing a message this morning, I was reminded of something else ..... mistakes on Certificates. I'll paste below, copies of two emails regarding this subject. Thank goodness for Parish Registers and County Records Office Staff, who realised that I wasn't trying to 'con' them for a freebie look-up! ;)


From: Diane Grant-Salmon
Sent: 14 October 2003 08:46
To: staffordshire.record.office@staffordshire.gov.uk
Subject: Query re Marriage Certificate

I shall be very grateful if a kind member of your Staff could solve a problem for me.

I ordered a Marriage Certificate from the BMD Indexes for Jun Qtr 1896 and the certificate arrived yesterday morning, but on it, next to the entry of No. 301 ...... the date is written as 25 April 1895.

Could you possibly check the entry for me from your Parish Records holdings, as this is very confusing?

Thomas Henry FORREST (38) Widower, Occ: Bricklayer m. Elizabeth WHITMORE (21) Spinster
Married 25 April 1895 Wellington Church, Hanley

Both living at Hill Street, Hanley at time of marriage
Wedding Witnesses:

William BUCKLEY and Sarah Ann BATKIN

Thankyou.
Diane Grant-Salmon (Mrs)


Dear Mrs Grant-Salmon

Thank you for your email, the marriage you asked about took place in 1896.
I hope that this solves your problem. I imagine that it was caused by a transcription error.

yours sincerely

Matthew Blake (Archivist)

Staffordshire Record Office
Eastgate Street, Stafford, ST16 2LZ

[Peter Goodey]

A good reminder, Diane, that the best way to get to the bottom of a problem is to actually do something! You analysed the problem, defined exactly what the problem was and went straight to the people best placed to give you the definitive answer.

Now if only some others... (oh, let's face it, if only I...) :o