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Wilkes_ml
08-08-2011, 5:42 PM
I'm not sure if this is in the right section, so please move if it isn't!!

I was a little bored, and having stumbled across a marriage in 1771 by licence, I thought I'd go through all my marriage certificates that I have obtained either from the GRO (via online ordering service) or from local register offices. Then, I had the idea of looking for the "original" marriage register entries that are available online via ancestry (London parishes) to get a look at original signatures.

The first one I pulled out for Thomas Curnick at Battersea in 1837, shows obvious discrepancies - the copy was obviously completed by the parish clerk, who made a few mistakes most of which were crossed out in the copy I have from the GRO. However, he also put down the wrong date ( OK, only a few days out!!!) but in the original, it clearly says 15th, whereas the copy says 18th ( the date the next marriage on page took place!).

So just goes to show, it is always worth checking all original documents wherever possible!

sueannbowen
08-08-2011, 10:20 PM
We have noticed on a recent GRO birth certificate that it is a typed 'copy'. At least that doesn't look like it might be a photocopy of an original (which is what I used to think they were). I suppose that wherever person a is interpreting what person b wrote we need to be careful. Point well made Michelle (and Westwood seems to be getting bigger by the day!!! :) )