Q on marriage proclamation

[chinakay]

I have the image of a marriage proclamation/wedding from Perth in 1818...beautiful copperplate handwriting!

Anyway, it goes like this:

Henry Patterson weaver in the middle church
parish of Perth and Isobell MacGregor in the said parish
daughter to Hugh MacGregor weaver there_________
Deacon Hugh MacGregor_______ the persons before named
were regularly proclaimed and married the sixteenth day of
September said year by the Reverend Duncan MacFarlane
Minister of the Gaelic Chapel in Perth.

So...I'm wondering why the name of the deacon is inserted into the place that it is.
In the 3 other marriages recorded on the page, there are an Elder James Runciman, an ELder John Kennedy and again, Elder John Kennedy.

...and why the underlined spaces.

In the case of the marriage I'm interested in, I assume the bride's father was a deacon in the church...what would be his role in the wedding ceremony?

Cheers,
China

[lbathgate]

In the case of the marriage I'm interested in, I assume the bride's father was a deacon in the church...what would be his role in the wedding ceremony?

I think that Hugh, given that he is mentioned earlier as a weaver, is more likely to be the Deacon of a trades guild.

I would guess that he (and the elders you noted in the other marriages) were present as witnesses or perhaps as cautioners (pronounced kayshuners) at the time of the declaration by the couple of their intention to marry before the banns were read.

[KirstyG]

There are Deacon's in the Church of Scotland

http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/extranet/xchurchlaw/downloads/xchurchlaw1998act08.txt

I'm afraid I don't know what his role would have been. You are talking about a time of great upheaval in the Christian Church in Scotland. There was a lot of change in a relatively short time. it might be worth looking into the history of that particular church if you are interested in finding out more as this family were obviously active in Church life.

I believe at that time a Gaelic Church was situated in Canal Street, they then moved to St Stephen's Free Gaelic Church in New Row.Whether this is the same Church as the Gaelic Chapel metioned in your record I don't know. There was a lot of selling of property between different denominations. As one congragation outgrew a meeting place they would sell it on to another and move to a larger one.

Kirsty

[lbathgate]

A Deacon within the church may be a possibility as you suggest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deacon

...office of Deacon can be found in congregations formerly belonging to the pre-1900 Free Church of Scotland, with a "Deacons' Court" having responsibility for financial and administrative oversight of congregations.

I have a feeling a Gaelic Church may have more leanings towards the Free Kirk than standard CoS, but I may be wrong. The "official" split between the churches was not until 1843, known as the Disruption.

This may also be of general interest as it deals with weavers in Perth and mentions "Deacon" in that context:
http://www.pkc.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/BA8D276E-C028-4B08-B596-690DA11B38D6/0/Newsletter26Spring2009.pdf

Peter signed up to serve as an apprentice to William Henderson, a Deacon weaver of the Incorporation, at Whitsunday (March 15th) 1782.

See also
http://www.perthweavers.bravehost.com/KirkSeats1749.html

....A List of the Weavers who pay to the building of their seat in ye Old Church

Deacon Robt Vallange

Deacon John Mar

Deacon John Robertson

Deacon John Pitcairn...

[chinakay]

Well...I didn't realize this would be a complex question

Thanks both, there's a lot of reading material you've given me and I'll get onto it straight away. I'd never have thought weaving might enter into it...

Thanks again,
China