East Pennard Marriage register - Vining

[Halps]

I am trying to find the marriage of Samuel Vining to Elizabeth Hoare (I think that is her surname). It should have taken place around 1860 as I have found them on the 1861 census in East Pennard and they are shown as married and aged 23 and 24.

I would be very grateful for any assistance with this.

Pam

[Valda]

A phonetic spelling of the surname perhaps. The clerk making a best guess from the pronounciation.

Marriages Sep 1860   
Amor  Eliza    Shepton M  5c 885   
Vining  Samuel     Shepton M  5c 885

East Pennard and Ditcheat are in Shepton Mallet registration district.

Regards

Valda

[Halps]

I've just looked on the 1871 census and found Elizabeth listed as Elizabeth A Vining. So if her middle name was Ann I can see how the clerk arrived at Eliza Amor from Elizabeth Ann Hoare!

Many thanks Valda.

Regards,
Pam

[Halps]

I've ordered the certificate with that reference and unfortunately the marriage is to Victoria Aishman, not Eliza Amor, so I'm back to square one!

Any further help on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pam

[Valda]

I have searched FreeBMD from 1851 onwards on the name Samuel Vin* (any spelling after Vin) and can't see a possible marriage.
FreeBMD is not a complete index (but for this period it is very close) of the GRO index. The coverage charts are here, so you can see any quarters that might be worth checking on the GRO index itself.

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/progressM.shtml

The GRO index can be viewed quarter by quarter here.

http://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/rectype/vital/freebmd/bmd.aspx

The GRO indexes themselves can be incomplete with errors and mistakes.

The local registrar's office covering the Shepton Mallet area is

Location Mendip

Address

19B Commercial Road
Shepton Mallet
Somerset
Ba4 5BU

Tel +44 (0)1749 343928
Email:  SheptonRO[at]somerset.gov.uk

Registration and Census District (1852 - 1946) 5c

or since by tradition marriages usuallytook place in the bride's parish you could request a search of East Pennard parish registers which are held at Somerset Record Office.

http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/

Once you have exhausted the local sources if a marriage has still not be found then I think you would have to accept one didn't take place. The church always tried hard to promote official church weddings but it was not until 1754 that the law supported them and jumping back and forth over broomsticks and the like, was still a traditional method which went back many centuries and had the benefit of lacking the costs the church charged for the banns and ceremony itself.

"Informal or common law marriages were legally recognized in England and Wales until they were outlawed in 1754 by Lord Hardwicke’s Act."

This article gives the figure in more rural areas in the C19th of up to 1 in 7 marriages 'living tally' i.e.couples who lived together but did not go through a legal ceremony but considered themselves married.

http://www.opo.org.uk/marriedornot/PDF/CommonLawMarriage.pdf

Regards

Valda

[Halps]

Hi Valda

Many thanks for your further advice. I'll keep digging - I hope they did get married! Thanks for the article too, it's very interesting.

Regards,
Pam