Need 'Parish' to get a Marriage Cert?

[clive_t]

Evening everyone

My sister told me today that she was unable to get a copy of our grandmother's marriage certificate.

Apparently, she rang the Bristol Register Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages today, quoting the registration index that I had obtained from 1837 online. She was told that unless she could identify the Parish or Church they were married in, they couldn't help. They said there are 400 churches in Bristol which would take ages to check through. She gave the most likely one (St Phillips), but it still wasn't enough info. They suggested going on line on 1837 online ! They also suggested she write a letter, enclosing a cheque for £7, and giving them as much information as she knew, then they may be able to produce the marriage certificate. If not, they will return the cheque.

I am perhaps being naive here, having never actually applied for a certificate before, but if I have the Quarter, the year, the surnames of bride and groom, the registration district, the 'volume', and the page, is that not enough? How would I go about establishing the 'parish'?

Hoping someone can enlighten me....

Regards

Clive

[Geoffers]

Apparently, she rang the Bristol Register Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages today, quoting the registration index that I had obtained from 1837online. She was told that unless she could identify the Parish or Church they were married in, they couldn't help.......I am perhaps being naive here, having never actually applied for a certificate before, but if I have the Quarter, the year, the surnames of bride and groom, the registration district, the 'volume', and the page, is that not enough? How would I go about establishing the 'parish'?

The reference of Quarter, Year, Name, District, Volume and Page was given by the GRO as they indexed records sent to them. If it just a way of the GRO finding their records and is of no use to a lcoal registrar. The Local Registrar normally just store their marriage records by church and date.

If you have the full GRO reference, then the information you have is sufficient to apply for a copy of a certificate via the GRO (and it would be simplest and quickest to do so in these circumstances) - you can do so online at their website:
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[clive_t]

Geoffers, many thanks again!

Regards

Clive

[Pam Downes]

Hi Clive,

One website that I continually refer to is Barbara Dixon's excellent one about BMD certificates.
http://www.dixons.clara.co.uk/Certificates/indexbd.htm
If you click on the 'ordering certificates' link you will get a full explanation of why Bristol asked for the parish. The information about Birmingham being the only office to computerise the registers is I believe slightly out of date -see
http://www.ukbmd.co.uk/
though note that not all counties have completed all districts.
The most important URL to remember is that for the GRO at Southport.
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/
click on 'how to obtain' in the first paragraph.
There are some companies who have URLs which are VERY similar to the GRO one, and who will gaily charge you 25 quid for a certificate unless you read the small print very carefully. So, beware.

Pam Downes

[Cornish Maid]

Clive

I don't quite see your problem. If the Registry Office have offered to look for the certificate and supply it if found, for £7 - then that is a bargain! Local Registry Offices usually charge £7 for a certificate + £4 for a search, although in fact I have never had to pay this £4, despite giving some rather vague information.

Having previously used GRO for certificates, I now use the Local Registry Office where possible. They are much quicker and, in my experience anyway, are prepared to "go the extra mile" - I have twice received phonecalls from them which have helped to identify which certificate was "mine" and which wasn't. They are not supposed to do this, of course, but they did.

I usually email them first giving what info I have and asking "Can you supply this certificate?" My fastest so far was an email to them Sunday about midnight and I received the cert first post on Tuesday, before I had even paid for it!

Good luck.

[clive_t]

Thanks, ladies, for your replies.

I was interested to read on that 'Barbara Dixon' website that she found that there was a risk associated with providing 'too much information' on a certificate request, e.g. if the supplied occupation did not match exactly what was on the document, the GRO would not send it, even though it was in fact the very document you were after.

In any event I've already ordered 4 certificates through the GRO website, if I get any problems with that then I guess I shall have to put it down to experience. It's a lot to do with my (over?)eagerness to make progress (a well-known failing of mine), I tend to see the internet as a quick win unless the opposite is proved. But I take the point that sometimes dealing with local bodies may be a better option.

Thanks again for your most helpful responses.

Regards

Clive