Longsight wedding?, do you recognise this vicar?

[Barbara.H]

Here's a vicar demonstrating how to wear clerical clothing:
http://www.kencollins.com/glossary/vestment-02.htm#plaincassock

He says:
"A Roman cassock has buttons or snaps down the front. An Anglican cassock is generally double breasted."

I suspect that clerical fashions change quite slowly. This one looks double-breasted to me i.e. nothing down the centre of the cassock.  Also considering the opening at the top (where the dog collar is visible), it's about the width of a double breasted wrap.  So possibly pitching for the Anglicans here?

As for affluence, the flowers and the ladies are certainly gorgeous, but the groom doesn't look as if he is used to dressing formally and posing for photos. I don't think he wears a suit very often. The groom and guests might just be wearing their Sunday best, and have splashed out on flowers for the occasion - or maybe they were florists!

  Barbara

[Eastman]

Barbara, thanks for the further information, this mystery just keeps on going.

Yes the vicar's cassock does seem to be double breasted with the button located as arrowed.

[Eastman]

Emms,

Your suggestion of an "ethnic influence" rang a bell and on the 1911 census the occupation of one of my great uncle's was an "African Merchants Clerk"!?

This has forced me to rethink things a bit as I know the photograph in question was saved by two sisters of this uncle, so whilst he is listed as single and aged 33 in 1911 he might still have had a daughter or son who could have married in the twenties.

Reviewing the situation.

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Update

After carefully making a list of likely candidates, yesterday I looked up seven marriages local to Longsight with no luck, and with two of the brides listing no father !

So it's back to the vicar.

[Barbara.H]

I was looking at the photo - yet again - and was trying to look at the wall of the church in Emms lightened up version.  I keep thinking it looks like St Peters on Stockport Rd, Levenshulme

I don't know how to capture an image off Street View & its probably not allowed anyway, but if you go to the junction of Barlow Rd and Stockport Rd, Levenshulme on google Maps, then change to Street View, point the view towards the church and zoom in.

The wall of St Peters has a stonework border round the edge and the wall in the photo looks a bit similar.

Thats the one that Rev Frank Iliff was at in 1929
 

Barbara

[Eastman]

Hi Barbara,

Thanks. I have already studied the architecture of St Peter's which was on my list of possible churches but I will look again with Google Street View.

Curiously, St Peter's was the parish of the relative I had in mind for this wedding so I'm now thinking if the bride could have got married at another church but posed for the photograph outside her own parish church afterwards   

[Eastman]

Still no progress. Parish magazines and 1920's newspapers did not go in for many images it seems.

Might try posting the image on Levenshulme Past and Present.

[Miranda1]

Hi, just idly playing and found this series of emails. My father was Reginald Griffith Hayden. He was Rector of St Andrews Ancoats from 1931-1938. I think his father was Re tour of Longsight but I do not think this is him. You may already have sorted this one out but it was fun to read. Also your reference to my friend Gay Sussex who is now back in Melbourne with me. regards Miranda1

[Eastman]

Hi, Miranda,

Unfortunately I haven't identified this vicar yet, but you are just the kind of visitor I hope to read my post, as I do the very same thing now and then, idly browsing forums for extremely long shots just in case something turns up.

The thought remains  that someone else might have an old wedding photograph featuring this vicar but with his name  on the back!

A shame that Crockford's Clerical Directory didn't include portraits of each cleric.

I sometimes wonder if the 1930's were further back in time than ancient Egypt  for the difficulties involved in identifying these people.

A George Hayden (Rector) married my grandparents in 1912 at St Clements, Longsight, would this then have been your grandfather?

Eastman

[Miranda1]

Sorry Eastman, I never responded to this but yes, George Hayden was my grandfather. I never met him although typical of the photos the time, he looked fierce!! Have you ever found any further answers re the cleric?