No Marriage Certificate?

[mogwai71]

I can't find any record of my G grandparents marriage would this mean that they didn,t marry or
perhaps they just didn't register it? Without it I can't say definately who my g grandfather's parents were although I have an idea who they could be. If I'm right then they were Irish Catholics- my G grandmother's family were from Worcestershire- could it be possible that they didn't marry because one was Catholic and one was Protestant?

Their names were John Clark(e) and Ruth Edith Bradley and they lived in Birmingham- their first child was born c1891 (his name was John Charles Clarke).

[birdlip]

Hi there,

I must say, I can't find them either, tried different spellings, swapped her names around etc. Nor can I find their childs birth registration, searching 2yrs +/- 1891, or the child in 1891 or 1901 census.

How sure are you, of the information you are working from?

regards birdlip

[birdlip]

Just occurred to me, if he WAS illegitimate, he'd have been registered under the mothers maiden name, then may have changed to Clarke later. There are two possibilities, but neither in the area you're looking at;

freeBMD Births, John Charles Bradley

Sep Qu 1890 Liverpool 8b 111
Sep Qu 1892 Bury 8c 652

[Colin Moretti]

The GRO indexes are not infallible, see this website for a flavour of the problems:
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mikefost/

If they married the event should be registered since, if it was a CoE ceremony, the vicar filled in the register at the time of the ceremony (but not invariably, see above) or if if it was a register office marriage (many mixed marriages were in register offices) the registrar did the deed. Although many RC and non-conformist churches weren't registered for marriages in the early years by the 1880s I think that the majority were and so would have had a registrar in attendance.

Colin

[mogwai71]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I don't think i'd got round to searching for John Charles - I've had a quick look and I can't find him in the birth records either - I have found his sister Nellie who was born next but I haven't sent of for her certificate yet (she was born in 1893). The family are on the 1901 census ( RG13; Piece: 2833; Folio: 77; Page: 22.) and John C is 9 years old - he doesn't appear on the 1891 census so either G Grandma was expeting him or he wasn't born until the next year (RG012; Piece: 2368; Folio 116; Page 49). That's also the confusing thing as John snr is at that address with G Grandma but the family I think is his mother and father have John living there (RG12; Piece: 2385; Folio 94; Page 34) - both Johns are married but doing different jobs! - this why I need John and Ruth's marriage certificate!

Justine

[mogwai71]

I've just found John Charles! - he was registered in April-June 1891 so I'll have to send of for his certificate

Justine

[veritas]

hi there , it dawned on me that my fathers parents were not married when i obtained their death certificates.the mother died first and the name on the certificate was not the family name and showed as the wife of another man,still living in another county. her death was registered by a daughter who was not part of my dads family and whose adress was in another county.
on scrutinising my dads birth certificate the mother s name is given-maiden name and present name which was her name still at death,but my dad and his sibilings were all registered in their fathers name although they all must have been illigitamate.
the mother was born and lived in the area she died in and her marriage to the other man is traceable in this locality(wigan ,lancashire),my grandfather was also born and raised in this place, but the husband is shown as being born in co durham.
in the 1901 census she is shown as living in yorkshire with her husband and 2 little girls -both these girls however were born in wigan, lancashire.the eldest girl was the daughter who registered her mothers death in 1926.she was then living in the airedale area of yorkshire.
my grandfather died in 1941 still living in the same property as my grandmother was at her death.i cannot find any trace of him having married at all.
my dad spoke a lot of his parents but never of the situation as it had been, he never mentioned any yorkshire connections or half sisters.he must have been aware of the situation as he was 14 when his mother died.it was all was obvious to me that he loved his mother dearly,he always described her as a lady.
so if you can`t find marriage certificates try death certificates and you may find a similar story-9wish i knew more details though)
veritas.