My grandmother's birth record

[PascalePC]

Hello Ooh exciting news! I think this is Hilda and Reginald's marriage certificate!

MXH 066218
1925. Marriage solemnised at the Parish Church in the Parish of St Paul, Sculcoates in the County of Kingston upon Hull
Column no. 174 (or 194)
Date: February 9th (I think 9th, writing is scruffy) 1925.
Name and Surname: Reginald Wyndham Sollars. Age 19. Bachelor. Rank or profession - Pattern Maker. Residence at the time of Marriage: 6, Reed Street. Father’s name and surname: George Edward Sollars. Rank or profession of Father: Marine Engineer.
Name and Surname: Hilda Hardwick. Age 20. Spinster. No rank/prefession. Residence at the time of Marriage: 6, Reed Street. Father’s name and surname: William Henry Hardwick. Rank or profession of Father: Deceased.
This marriage was solemnised between us, Reginald Wyndham Sollars / Hilda Hardwick. In the presence of us, Thomas Frederick Barton/ Kate Annie (unreadable surname)

Hilda’s father is indeed William Henry Hardwick and I had previously found a record of what looks like his death in 1923 (just before or during Hilda’s pregnancy with Margaret), which fits with it saying deceased on the certificate.
They were obviously living ‘in sin’ before their marriage (they have the same address)
Has Hilda has made herself a year younger?
So how come he used the name Sollars? It totally looks like them though.

Anyone have any idea where I could go next with this? Thank you so much for all your help so far, by the way I feel really excited to have their marriage certificate, whether it does help further, or not.

[Megan Roberts]

I think that you are right to think that it is their marriage certificate.

I did a quick search at Findmypast for any other records for a Reginald Sollars, and apart from this marriage record there were 2 others both in Stroud, Gloucestershire. One born and died in the 1890s and the other born in 1912 and died in 1998; he appears in the 1939 Register as unmarried.

So, being as I am naturally a suspicious person ..... I think your Reginald must have been hiding something. Have you looked into his family history? Could he have been married already? Was this really a bigamous marriage? They were quite common before divorce was made easier.

[grisel]

I think that you are right to think that it is their marriage certificate.

So, being as I am naturally a suspicious person ..... I think your Reginald must have been hiding something. Have you looked into his family history? Could he have been married already? Was this really a bigamous marriage? They were quite common before divorce was made easier.

Maybe it was a way of staying under the radar. His parents may not have been too keen on him marrying someone who already had an illegitimate child (assuming Margaret actually is Hilda's child). As he was under 21, I think tho am not sure, that they could have challenged the banns.

On a separate note on fmp's free search, there would appear to be a Hilda Hardwick in Hull electoral rolls in 1924 and 1925.

Btw I have been enjoying reading this thread!

[PascalePC]

Hi Megan, thanks for your message and your suggestion. I know nothing about Reginald and have no clue about his early life. It does look like a shady wedding, doesn’t it?! I think as he was 19 it’s probably unlikely that he married before but then anything can surprise me now!

[PascalePC]

Hi grisel, thank you for your message and for enjoying it! I can’t sleep at night at the moment, haha.

I looked at the electoral roll entires for Hilda Hardwick in 1924 and 1925 and these were a Hilda Malkinson living next door to a couple called Harry and Mary Hardwick (I think the search function picked up Hilda Hardwick from those entries.)

I’m wondering what his parents' take on the marriage were. Could he have married without them knowing, as he knew they wouldn’t approve due to her having an illegitimate baby?

At some point they moved in with them as Reginald and Hilda Jones though, so perhaps he spilled the beans at a later date? Perhaps he acted like Margaret was his to his own parents?

It looks to me like they were living together at 21 Caroline Place by 1927 (with the name Jones) until 1931 when they moved in with Reginald’s parents and brother at 24, Saint Luke’s Street.

By 1939 they were living in Portsmouth together with Margaret. Again with the name Jones. The name Sollars just seems to be for the sake of the marriage.

Why though?

It looks like Hilda said she was 20 to the registrar in Feb 1925 when she would have been 21, soon to be 22 that coming May 1925. In the 1939 register, Hilda is recorded with her DOB being 08/05/1903 - the same age she said she was for the wedding. When Reginald informed the registrar of her death in 1973, he gave the correct birth date (the one from her birth certificate) - 08/05/1902.

Perhaps as well as pretending that Hilda was younger, they pretended to everyone that Margaret was younger too, to make it look like she was his. Perhaps he deliberately lost touch with his parents for a bit to make it seem like Margaret was his.

Oh I don't have a clue really!! But thank you

[PascalePC]

It looks like Hilda said she was 20 to the registrar in Feb 1925 when she would have been 21, soon to be 22 that coming May 1925.

*Actually, she said she was 20, when she would have been 22, soon to be 23 that coming May 1925*

[PascalePC]

Does anyone think it would be worth getting Reginald's birth and death certificates?

[Lesley Robertson]

I've just noticed that this 3-page research thread is sitting in the "Introduce yourself" forum which is only really intended for short welcome messages... To prevent it from getting lost, I've moved it to the "Brickwalls" forum (message #1 mentions a brickwall, although it seems to be rapidly falling).

[PascalePC]

Oh sorry Lesley! I hadn't realised. Thank you for that

[christanel]

Does anyone think it would be worth getting Reginald's birth and death certificates?

At this stage I would hold off buying the certificates and wuold be looking at Reginald's father's family links. As I said previously Sollars is a surname more popular in Gloucestershire and as it is not a common surname I think Reginald maybe knew it as a family or friend's surname.
Others may have other ideas


Christina