missing marriage record?

[Patricia jackson]

  I have a very solid brick wall,, I am looking for a marriage record of a Henry Fenwick and Isabella Beattie, she was born in 1830 and died in 1873 aged 44,  their first child was born in 1854. I have checked on various sites for many  years but alas have no luck, on the 1851 census she is unmarried and on the 1861 census she is married ? with a family.I have thought it could be a lost record or maybe they were not married. Someone suggested it could have been a border marriage . Henry re-married in 1875 and died in 1895. his middle name was Neville but he didn't appear to use it .Any help would be gratefully appreciated.  I thought I had found her on a marriage cert in 1853 at Belford, but there was no fenwick,and on seeing the cert  she couldn't have been married before because her father's name and occupation were wrong.

[Michael Dixon]

pejay,

The registration of a marriage of an Isabella Beattie with the Belford DRO in the June Quarter at Belford, lloks very much like yours.

* Time before birth of first-born Isabella (called Jane on C1871 ?? )

** Belford appropriate DRO for Bamburgh

*** No Isabella Beattie with right-ish age appears on censuses from 1861.

OK, there is not a corresponding entry in JuneQtr 1853 at Belford for a Fenwick.... ?, which is not good news....

But Henry the 18 yr old Morpeth -born joiner app.,  on C1851, does not appear on later censuses, other than husband to Isabella.

Have you seen the details from that Belford marriage registration ?. If so who did she marry, what was her father's name and occupation ?

Michael Dixon

[Patricia jackson]

 :(Hi there and many thanks for your reply.I did get a copy of the June qr marriage in Belford 1853 for Isabella Beattie. she married a James Martin on the cert it gave her father as Robert Beattie labourer. His name was George Beattie. it seems like he was a miller and then a farmer. Her eldest daughter Isabella Ann seems to have been born in 1854 in 3rd qr I know her husband? Henry re-married in 1875 and on the cert it does state widower, but I am well and truly stuck on this one. any help or suggestions would be very much appreciated

[habanero]

Is it possible Henry went under another Christian name and that the registrar miswrote Isabella's maiden name?

May be small coincidence but Qtr 2 1852, Gateshead, an Isabella Batey married a John Fenwick.. may be worth pursuing?

Anne

[Patricia jackson]

Hi and thanks for your reply. it is difficult to know what to do, certainly the year [1852] as she was unmarried in 1851would be about right, and the place could also be about right. Henry did have another name - Neville, not sure if he had another one, or what name he actually called himself. on his death cert and also his 2nd marriage he goes by the name of Henry   - not that it means anything, I am sure we have all come across ancestors that went by other names.    I agree It is easy for names to be wrongly transcribed.but I must admit I didn't think  of Batey,  -  Beatty yes -  also with just one t. I am certainly not sure what to do other than giving the cert a try.

[Michael Dixon]

pejay,

yesterday I had the opportunity to peruse an index of Bamburgh Parish baptisms... no sign of a Beattie or any similar variation.. in 1820/30s .

Michael Dixon

[Patricia jackson]

Hi there many thanks for your reply and for taking the time to go through Bamburgh records. I have from the IGI what I think is her - parents names are right etc; as been born 6/4/1830and baptised 19/4/1830 at Presbyterian, Warenford, Northumberland i know Warenford  is in Northumberland but  I must admit I am not sure what the Presbyterian bit means, was it a particular church, I know there are Presbyterians but wouldn't they just use a C of E or C of Scotland Church?  sorry if I appear a bit dim on this subject.

[Michael Dixon]

Pejay,

Don't sell yourself short.

Why would someone of Faith A, use the church of Faith B for celebrating their bapts/marriages ?

In the era of early 1800s, the term "parish" referred only to a piece of territory served by an Anglican church.

But within that territory there existed churches/chapels of other religious denominations, including Presbyterians, Methodists Catholics, etc.

( See www.genuki.org.uk... Northumberland>Parishes>Bamburgh)

Although English law, up to 1837, laid down that the only legal way to marry in England was in a church of the Anglican ("Church of England" ) faith.

But the law did not lay down that other denominations had to be baptised in C of E.   

So couples of "non-conformist" denominations had to
a) marry in a C of E
b) not marry
c) marry outside of England ( e.g. Scotland) in a church of their choice.

But they could baptise their children in their " own" church.

And that is why I could not find Isabella's baptism in the Bamburgh "parish" register.

(People of Jewish or Quaker faiths were exempted from the law, and could marry in their own places of worship)

The Act was removed from 1837, allowing other religions to carry out marriages in their own church.

Michael Dixon

[BrianS]

I have found almost the same problem myself.

My G/G/G Grandfather George Shotton married a woman called Mary Fettis at some point  between 1851-1861 but I have yet to find their marriage record. He was from Longhoughton and she was from Belford so I would imagine they would have married in that area. I have been looking for this record for months and have had no luck as of yet