Are Certs from the GRO the originals

[Guest]

I am not quite clear on which certs the signatures of the Bride and Groom would be actually signed by them??? as I would like somebody to compare signatures please.

[Tom Tom]

No Val.


The ones at the GRO are copies.

At the end of each quarter all the marriages were copied out into another book and they were then sent to the GRO (or whatever it was called then)

The only way to get copies of original marriages is to get them from the micro fiche/film at the local records office, or that the local register office will scan the originals for you.


Tom

[Guest]

oh pooh I thought it was asking too much , although in a way Im glad as they dont look too alike to me , thanks Tom

[Olde Crone Holden]

Val

This is a really vexatious subject and one we have thrashed out many times before!

If a couple marry in church, they should both sign the register. The Vicar then copies that entry and sends it to the local RO, who in turn copy it and send it onto the GRO.

That is what is SUPPOSED to happen, lol. But we have had many examples of variations on this theme, with originals being sent all over the place and only copies kept, where the originals should be, and so on.

So, to answer your question - the church register OUGHT to contain the original signatures of the couple, but it doesn't always.

The GRO almost NEVER have original marriage signatures except in some flukey situation which wouldn't be immediately obvious to anyone!

Register Office marriages may or may not have a copy of the original signatures - again, it depends on who did what in the copying stakes.

OC

[Guest]

thanks OC it doesnt help when the writing looks old ??? if you know what I mean .
So it is possible to get the original copies then??? are they dearer???

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

When you married in a C of E church you were supposed to sign TWO register books. One ended up at the local register office and the other ended up at the CRO.


The GRO copies were made on loose sheets by the C of E vicar (NOT the registrar) at the end of each quarter and sent direct to the GRO.

These rules were current between 1837 and 1983.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

thanks OC it doesnt help when the writing looks old ??? if you know what I mean .
So it is possible to get the original copies then??? are they dearer???

You should pay £7 from a local register office (sometimes plus postage) but watch out because some (like Exeter) charge a lot more! lol

You must check with them that they are able to photocopy the register, as if they can't, they may send you a handwritten copy of the original cert and these tend to have even more errors than a GRO copy!

Occasionally the local office will say they can't look for a marriage if you don't know the venue, which is because they will have a register from lots of churches and it takes a lot of time to go through them all. Some London offices don't do Family Hsitory certs!

If you know which church the marriage took place in you may be able to get a copy from the CRO, but some have started charging £7 having spotted a loophole!

[Guest]

I do have the certs Merry so can tell them which church and Synagogue they took place in.
I'll have to check they have a local office

[Tom Tom]

The church one you should be able to get from the county records office

The synagogue might be a bit harder - check to see if the county records office have them, or they may still be at the synagogue. Just hope that the locarl Register Office are helpful and will photocopy the originals for you! :D

[Christine in Herts]

I had an extraordinarily helpful experience of help from a synagogue in Melbourne. I 'd found the record on the IGI, and emailed them about it. I received a scan back within a couple of hours!

Christine

[Guest]

that sounds hopeful thanks everybody

[Uncle John]

I was chatting today to a lady who is very involved with the Moravian Church. Their church in Bedford (St. Luke's, shared with the URC) closed recently. They have just succeeded in opening a locked strong-box to which there was no key. In it they found the marriage registers going back to the early 1900s. Apparently the man with the key died some years ago. The registers are now safely in the County Records Office, along with loads of other church papers.

The bonus for this lady was that she found her parent's marriage entry, complete with the original signatures.

[Olde Crone Holden]

UJ

The Moravian church kept the most stupendously detailed records, in my (one) experience.

Beautifully written out, with names of both parents AND THE GRANDPARENTS! Baptisms were augmented with a black cross when the baptised person died, and the date of death entered, along with details of the cause of death and family news such as "his father died three years ago on blah blah blah".

Wonderful stuff.

OC

[Joan of Archives]

Ooooooo maybe that's where all my rellie's marriage entries are then !!

:D

[Guest]

how lucky is she Uncle John ???

[Peppie]

Uncle John,

Sorry to be thick but what is the URC?

( getting excited as dads rellies are from bedford....... )

[KiteRunner]

United Reformed Church.

[Uncle John]

United Reformed Church.

Which was a 1970's amalgamation of the English Congregational and Presbyterian Churches.