Bride & groom residing at the same address?

[LizzieW]

Are 20thC marriage banns available anywhere?  My mum lived in Hale, Cheshire and my dad in Harpurhey, Manchester at the time of their marriage at St Anne's Church, Manchester, but the address mum gave on her marriage cert was somewhere in Manchester, presumably in the diocese to be married at St Anne's.  I have no idea whose address she was using.  My dad wouldn't have been in the St Anne's diocese either, although he worked nearby.

[andrewalston]

Banns registers may have been deposited in the local record office with other registers and documents. However they are less likely to have been filmed than marriage registers.

Many registers are, of course, still held by the churches.

[Bojalu]

Marriage Certificate with a Bride & Groom living at the same address.Do not assume they were living together. If the bride and groom live in separate parishes then it is necessary for the Banns to be read in both parishes and fees paid in both parishes for three Sundays prior to the wedding. - By giving the same address for both of them ( often  the bride’s address ) they have saved one set of fees!
This was very common and probably still is.

[LizzieW]

I knew my parents weren't living together, it's just that my mum gave an address near to the church where she wanted to get married - about 15 miles from her home address.   I have no idea who was living at that address who said she could use it.  If you could search by address on the 1939 register, I could find out but apart from that I'll never know whose address she gave.  My dad gave his home address, which wasn't near to the church where they got married either, although nearer than my mum's home address.

[behindthefrogs]

These addresses of convenience were often known as suitcase addresses.   This because residence was established by leaving a suitcase containing a few belongings at the address.  Slightly better off people who lived in the country a few miles from a town or city often wanted to marry in a church there.  This enabled them to get away from the prying eyes of the local population.

[Bojalu]

I knew my parents weren't living together, it's just that my mum gave an address near to the church where she wanted to get married - about 15 miles from her home address.   I have no idea who was living at that address who said she could use it.  If you could search by address on the 1939 register, I could find out but apart from that I'll never know whose address she gave.  My dad gave his home address, which wasn't near to the church where they got married either, although nearer than my mum's home address.

  You can search by address on the 1939 Register. You can also search the Electoral Registers at the Local Archives for that area.
Some of the Midlands Electoral Registers are online with Midlands Historical Data from 1830 to 1965. Also a well know website has Birmingham Electoral Registers from 1830’s to 1955. A  good  way to track your family.

[LizzieW]

Thanks Bojalu - I didn't realise you could search the 1939 register by address, that means I can search for others where I know their address but not their surname.

[jaybelnz]

Boarding houses another possibility!  I have two pairs of  "lodgers" living in the same boarding house who later married.

[LizzieW]

I think, in my mum's case, it would have been more of a "suitcase address", as her own address was where she had a ladies underwear shop, so she wouldn't have moved away and left her mother to run the shop.

By the way in the high street where we lived (I lived behind the shop with my parents after I was born 75 years ago) the ladies underwear shop is the only one that still exists as it did all those years ago.  Most of the others have turned into upmarket boutiques, coffee shops, etc.