Berkshire marriage licences

[Galium]

Thank you, I'll try that. There are other marriages from this family that appear on the Sarum index - but I suppose that at different times one might have seemed more convenient than the other.

[ribbo39]

Hi Galium,

The Wilts FHS produced a CD of Marriage Licence Bonds for the counties of Wilts Dorset & Berks some time ago and I have a copy.

If you care to give me some names I could look to see if any record is there.

I have found some marriages (By Licence) that took place in Berks,  especially parishes in the north of the county, now in Oxon, are not listed so I expect they were issued by the local Bishop(s).

Alan

[newburychap]

It's in the diocese of Oxford.

Not in 1760.

[newburychap]

Hi Galium,

The Wilts FHS produced a CD of Marriage Licence Bonds for the counties of Wilts Dorset & Berks some time ago and I have a copy.

If you care to give me some names I could look to see if any record is there.

I have found some marriages (By Licence) that took place in Berks,  especially parishes in the north of the county, now in Oxon, are not listed so I expect they were issued by the local Bishop(s).

Alan

Only one Bishop to worry about in 1760 - Sarum (Salisbury), but most licences were issued by Archdeacons.  Try Archdeaconry of Berkshire licences at the BRO.

[Galium]

Thank you, Alan, and newburychap. The marriages at Stanford in the Vale I am looking for licence records of:
John Whitehorne and Ann Belcher 22.9.1760
Henry Penstone and Elizabeth Belcher 18.12.1764
Thomas Mulcock (of Highworth, Wilts.) and Sarah Belcher 5.8.1765



(Note to Alan, these are children of Richard Belcher and Catherine née Spicer. It seems likely that Richard Belcher and Elizabeth Price also married by licence, but the available transcript doesn't state, and they don't show in the Sarum bond index. Lawrence, Mary and John, also from this family, who all married in the 1770s do appear in the Sarum bond index. )

[ribbo39]

Hi Galium,

As I thought, those 3 marriages by Licence don't appear in the Marriage Licence Bond CD from the WiltsFHS. Nor does the marriage of Richard & Elizabeth in West Challow.***

I believe they must have been locally issued licences.


I have all of these as twiglets in my tree, although as I speak have lost their connections but, I have John Whitehorn marrying an Anne Belcher (Not Elizabeth). I have had another look thru the Stanford transcripts and cannot find a bapt. entry for Elizabeth but did find a 2nd Mary Belcher bapt. 29-6-1735 so I wonder if this should be Elizabeth.
I also had a look at the burials to see if the earlier Mary had died, before 1847 (when the 2nd was bapt.) but without success. Do you have any details for Elizabeth's birth/bapt ?

*** I have posted previously for help regarding the West Challow bapts/marriages being a chapellry of  Letcombe Regis but they don't show in the transcripts. So where did Anc..y/IGI  get their info from?
West Challow was with East Challow till 1852 when they started their own registers.

Sorry i can't be of better help.

Alan

[Galium]

Thanks for taking the time to look those up, Alan.

I do think that Richard and Catherine's first Mary, as recorded in the Stanford in the Vale register is probably Elizabeth. Richard's will names his daughter Elizabeth first amongst his daughters, usually an indication that she is the eldest, so she would be older than Sarah, baptised in 1741 (Anne baptised February 1738 had died by the time the will was written).

There is a big enough gap between Anne and the twins Sarah and Joseph for Elizabeth to have been born, but if she was there is no reorded baptism (at least not in my OFHS transcript) and no obvious burial of a child Mary Belcher, either at Stanford in the Vale, or at Denchworth where  son Joseph was buried in 1754. (I think Richard's father was originally from Denchworth.)

I don't know the origin of the information about Elizabeth Price, but an Elizabeth Belcher aged 49 was buried at Stanford 2 December 1787, so that would fit with the baptism date.

[ribbo39]

Hi Galium,
I don't know the origin of the information about Elizabeth Price, but an Elizabeth Belcher aged 49 was buried at Stanford 2 December 1787, so that would fit with the baptism date.

Elizabeth Price was bapt. in West Challow 29-1-1737 (d/o Thomas & Mary). Again this is only from the IGI not from any of the transcripts for Letcomebe Regis or East Challow.

Alan

[Capetown]

I am always surprised how far people were from home when the married....

I've checked with the Gloucestershire Marriage Allegations 1637-1837 and Marriage Bonds 1730-1823 - on the Forest of Dean Family History website....  free to join, just register.

Around the date you are looking for....  there is

24 Jly 1762

James ANDREWS, occupation: Hemp dresser - residence: Fairford
to
Mary WHITEHORNE, Spinster, residence: Wantage in the County of Berks and diocese of Sarum

Marriage by Bond:

He signs

witness 1: Joseph PRICE of Fairford, Carpenter

The groom and Joseph PRICE are bound to the sum of £200 to marry at Wantage.


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