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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Ecila on Saturday 04 August 12 15:34 BST (UK)
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Apologies if this is a daft question but were brides and grooms required to produce evidence of identity,residence and nationality in 1898?
Am researching an elusive great grandmother so if anyone can clarify legal requirements I would be really grateful.
Many thanks
Ecila :)
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If the marriage was by banns, then the simple answer is no.
Stan
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By stat. Geo. 4. c.76 no parson, vicar, minister or curate was obliged to publish the banns of matrimony, between any persons whatsoever, unless the persons to be married shall, seven days at the least before the time required for the first publication of such banns, deliver to him a notice in writing, dated on the day of such delivery, of their true Christian names and surnames, and of the houses of their respective abodes within his parish or chapelry, and of the time during which they have dwelt, inhabited, or lodged in such house or houses.
Although a marriage by banns would be valid, even though neither of the parties was actually resident in the parish, the clergyman was expected to use due diligence, and ascertain that the parties had given the correct representation of their place of residence. He had only to go to the address they gave to make sure the statement was true, and he had at least a week to do this before the first publication of the banns.
Stan
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If you give us further details on your great grandmother perhaps we can help. This may not be relevant to your question but not every couple who posts banns gets married. Sometimes one or the other or both gets "cold feet" and decide not to marry. That is a slight pitfall of relying on marriage banns.
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Thank you both for your replies.
Stan, thank you for clarifying this for me.
Barryd, I have a thread about this lady so I will attempt to insert the link. ( My IT skills are sometimes a bit wonky.)
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,583648.0.html
The reason I asked the question is because I haven't been able to find any records for great grandmother prior to banns and subsequent marriage. I had a faint hope that brides/grooms would have been required to produce birth certificates and that would have told me that her birth was registered somewhere!
I have a lot to learn still about researching family history so your replies were very helpful.
Ecila :) :) :)