This article was originally published in the August 2004 edition of Soul Search, the journal of The Sole Society

Ed: Alma is an expert researcher and she has kindly agreed that we may reproduce the following article, originally published in the Coventry FHS journal.

James COX and Elizabeth LEE (nothing on but her shift) were married on 10th January 1747 at Speen in Berkshire. One of those wicked and, sometimes, witty comments found in early parish registers. Even the gentry were not exempt from criticism; from Sheepy Magna, Leicestershire, a baptism on 22nd April 1670 "Daniell son of Mr. Wm DANIELL and Elizabeth, begotten in fornication".

On 11th June 1732 at Kintbury, Berkshire, Hugh MAY and Mary STEVENS were married. There was a note, "Mary STEVENS, widow, last mentioned above was ye widow first of Edward BLANDY of Encott who died 14th January 1729. She shortly after married Robt STEVENS who died 1st December 1731 and married again as above." This third husband could not have lasted long for Mary was again a widow when she herself was buried three years later in 1735.

The advent of printed registers following Hardwick's Marriage Act, 1754, brought problems of spelling as the bride and groom and witnesses were required to sign the register or make their marks. This led to differences in names as heard and written by church officials (perhaps barely literate) and as written by the parties. One bride signed her name as VAUX but the register had been noted as VOICE and what is a researcher to make of an entry for Tabitha MacBRAID when the bride signed as Isabella McBRIDE?

After July 1837 fathers' names and occupations appear in the marriage registers, except where there is a dash or "illegitimate" in the column, but in a known illegitimacy the groom gave himself a dad for the day! Recently "Family Tree" pointed out that when asked for a father's name the answer was often “I haven't got one," which did not mean anything other than that there had been one but he was dead. Unfortunately, this reply was sometimes misinterpreted.

Some entries in Holy Trinity registers are eyecatching. In 1679 Mr. John ILIFFE married Henry Ettemiria BARRATT, Sarah KEMBLE married William SIDDONS on 25th November 1773 but why did TAUNTON in his Antiquities say the ceremony was at St. Michael's?

There are occasional items referring to Jews to be found; at St. Helen's, Worcester, in 1757 the marriage register was signed in Hebrew by Jacob ISRAEL and in July 1783 Moses LEVISON married Ann PYFINCH.

At St. Michael's on 25th February 1834 the marriage took place of Arthur Francis GREGORY Esq. of Stivichall and Caroline HOOD, spinster. This was a marriage joining two landowning families, the Gregorys and the Hoods; an important event with nine witnesses signing the register of whom two were peers and another a baronet.

Are you looking for a Russian Ambassador by any chance? Married at Holy Trinity on 1.21h August 1865: Constantin Alexander Frederic de RITTICK, aged 27, a bachelor, to Maria Jane MURRAY, 27, a widow. He was a "Baron au Service de se Majestie le Czar, London and his father was Frederic de RITTICK, a General. The bride's father was Wm PERRY, Doctor of Medicine, and William THICKINS, the incumbent of Keresley and Coundon, officiated. One has to wonder about the story behind such an entry.

It is rewarding to be able to fit witnesses at a marriage into a family tree but care should be taken; churchwardens witnessed hundreds of marriages and newly married brides and grooms have acted as witnesses at immediately following ceremonies.

Sometimes there is a gap of about three weeks from being a witness to being a bride or groom as if the parties calling in to arrange for banns were asked to "stand in". If possible original sources should be consulted to see if there is a pattern of witnesses' signatures.

Perhaps it is as well that marginal notes no longer appear in marriage registers: what might we see "been his mistress for nine years and has three children"? Now that comment would help the family historian!