Banns before marriage

[EvensResearch]

Looks like I found this topic rather late. I'm Emily and Reginald's great granddaughter, and I've been working on some family history with my Grandad, their son, so we can confirm those details. He says his parents did meet during the war and got married in France.

In the family bible it says:

"Reginald Clarence Evens married Florence Emily Skelsey 5th April 1919"

It also has Emily's death as May 1948.

Then there follows the details of their 4 children, which you have already found I asked my Grandad about it saying "Florence" - apparently "Flo" was his dad's nickname for his mum (presumably because of how they met in the war). He thinks that his grandad (Philip) started writing the details before being corrected that her name wasn't really Florence.

We also found a certificate recognising Emily's "gallant and distinguished services in the Field", dated 1st July 1919.

Hope that helps confirm some details. I'd be interested in whether you have any further details about Emily's family, as my grandad didn't know a lot about them.

[chris_49]

Good to hear from you - we are related - fourth cousins once removed I think (as provable as anything can be when the connection is before 1837 but the surnames are rare).

I was sure Emily was a nurse, the more so when I found that the wedding was under the auspices of the Etaples consulate. Banns in Cubbington and probably in Essex so presumably an Anglican service - whether at some Protestant church or conducted by a chaplain at the consulate I don't know. Interesting that Emily got called "Flo" - I wonder if many nurses got that moniker?

I know nothing of the Evens, but Emily was one of two surviving daughters of Joseph Skelcey, a carter, and Lydia Cramp Verney of Harbury of whom I know little more - they married there in 1890.  He was one of the many children of William Enoch Skelcey and Hannah Draper of Cubbington. I am descended from William's brother George and Hannah's sister Ann so it's a double relationship. This gives you a few thousand Skelcey (spelling variable) and Draper relatives in Cubbington and around - yes they were fertile!

I've been in touch with quite a few other descendants, sadly not all still with us. Your nearest ones would be the Pettiphers, descended from Joseph and Lydia's other daughter, also Lydia. I was in touch with one of them once, but it was a long time ago. I'll try to find the person concerned.

I would be very interested to see a scan of Emily's certificate for gallantry. I can give you an email address via PM if you're willing.

All best, Chris

[Melbell]

Current CofE website states that



My understanding is that the banns have to be read in all parishes involved, so could be 3 if bride & groom live in different parishes and get married in a 3rd

Linda

That is not legally possible, banns can only be called in two parishes, that of the bride and groom, where they reside, or claim to reside, and one of which must be the one where the marriage is to take place . The only way a marriage can take place in another parish is by licence.

Stan

Thanks Stan - wrong again!

Linda

This is correct, but nowadays Banns are often read in three churches because in the last few years it has become possible to marry in a parish to which one of the parties has a valid connection but in which neither is resident, and it seems to have become the norm to have the Banns read in the church where the wedding is going to take place as well as the other church(es) where they have to be read to make the wedding legal. (Or perhaps this is now a requirement?  Is there a CofE priest out there who could clarify this please?).

Having said that, this would not have happened until very recently, so won't affect most people's research!

Melbell

[Liam59]

I think legislation in the Church of England changed in 2008 to allow people to get married in churches with which they have a connection but don't necessarily live near to:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukcm/2008/1

[medpat]

Could an army chaplain have married them, there would have been chaplains in each area during the war and some attached to the hospitals. This would tie in if she was a nurse, the hospital could have a consecrated area for use as a church. The info would then go to the consulate to be registered and then sent on to UK.

[chris_49]

Could an army chaplain have married them, there would have been chaplains in each area during the war and some attached to the hospitals. This would tie in if she was a nurse, the hospital could have a consecrated area for use as a church. The info would then go to the consulate to be registered and then sent on to UK.

Yes I thought of a chaplain but only in relation to the consulate. It could have been at a hospital. A Skelcey relative who's into military history told me that there was a great deal of British infrastructure at that time in and around the town (which was conveniently distant from the front line) probably still being used after the Armistice.

[medpat]

All overseas service marriages go through the consulate/embassy. The marriages aren't done in the consulate/embassy but the recording that's sent to UK is. It's the same with children born to service people overseas, it's recorded by the consulate/embassy. The wedding/birth cets. will show where the marriage was performed or the child born.