marriage certificate

[traceyrmcd]

My grans parents appear to have had a child out of wedlock at the start of the 20th century.  Was this common?  In the 1911 census they have been married 7 years with a child 9 years old.  I'm having difficulty in tracing a marriage certificate.  Their names were Thomas Morris, weston Rhyn b 1874/5 and Alice Jane Williams.  Their address was caemeddeg.

[beekay48]

The having of children out of wedlock I have found to be very common in the late 19th and early 20th century.  My Grandmother had 2 children and was a spinster when she married my Grandfather (1904). My GGrandmother had 2 children and died a spinster.

[karenlee]

Hi

Welcome to Rootschat.  

I have searched the Free BMD and found the following marriage that may be the one that you are after...

December Quarter 1903 Oswestry 6a 1477
MORRIS Thomas and WILLIAMS Alice Jane

Cheers
Karenlee

[millymcb]

Hi Tracey - welcome to Rootschat

Do you have a birth certificate for that first child?   It could be a child from  a previous marriage of one of them, or perhaps an illegitimate child of Alice's (either with Thomas or someone else).

Milly

[maxxangel]

Yes, children out of wedlock is very common throughout the ages, despite what we were always led to believe about good people be virgins before marriage back then!  Also common is a marriage date that is less than 9 months before the birth of the first child. Many illegitimate children were left with their grandparents when the mother married although husbands sometimes took on the children. I think for those born well before the marriage took place, they were probably hers and not his (otherwise the shotgun wedding would have taken place at the first sign of pregnancy). But I don't like to assume. A birth certificate for the child may help answer some questions.

[stanmapstone]

In the annual report of the Registrar-General 1845, it was stated that in 1830 the baptisms and births returned were 399,324; illegitimate children 20,039. In 1842 births registered were 517,789; illegitimate children 34,796. In 1900 births registered were 927,062, with those outside marriage 36,814.

For the statistical minded:

From 1841 to 1905 the percentage of births outside marriage fell from 6.7% to 4% then was at 4 - 4.5 % until 1940 except for 1916-1920 when it was 5.4%. From 1941 to 1960 it averaged 5.5%. In 1961-5 it was 6.9% and 1996-2000 it was 37.8%.

Stan

[Tjapaltjarri]

Sorry I missed you leaving from the chatroom - There is a possible marriage in 1903 between Alice Jane Williams and Thomas Morris - Oswestry 6a 1477 - Dec qtr.

Best,

Howdie