Can anybody read the witnesses names please ???

[Guest]

http://search.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=1623&iid=31280_194905-00436&fn=Sophia&ln=York&st=r&ssrc=&pid=6214838

of Sophia York and William Clitherow
Thanks

[Mary from Italy]

Edwd? C. Tracey? and Phebe Fry.

The first witness also witnessed other marriages on the page, so perhaps he was a churchwarden or something.

[Guest]

thanks Mary maybe she was too then?? did you have to have more than one witness??

[Mary from Italy]

Not sure - I don't think I've ever seen a marriage with less than two witnesses, so I assume that was the minimum, and there are sometimes more than two. I doubt whether women would have been churchwardens in those days, but she might have been some kind of professional witness. If she was, you'll probably find her witnessing other marriages in that parish.

[Mary from Italy]

Lord Hardwicke's "Act for the Better Prevention of Clandestine Marriages" came into effect in 1754 and required all marriages to take place in a licensed place (usually the parish church) and to follow either reading of banns or issue of a licence. The marriage register was to be signed by the parties and by two witnesses.

http://www.mlfhs.org.uk/Infobase/Begin-Registers.htm

[Mary from Italy]

A Phebe Etherington married a William Fry in Clerkenwell in 1800 - that may be the witness.

[Guest]

thanks very much for your info Mary very kind of you

[Guest]

just found a William Fry York was one of Sophias sons by her first marriage ??? but as he was born in 1825 am trying to work out who this one was ???

[Mary from Italy]

There's also a marriage on the IGI for William Fry to Phoebe Wilshire at Saint Giles Cripplegate on 13/12/1833 (just 3 days before William and Sophia were married).

[Mary from Italy]

just found a William Fry York was one of Sophias sons by her first marriage ??? but as he was born in 1825 am trying to work out who this one was ???

Presumably he was named Fry after a relation - have you checked out all the parents', grandparents' and siblings' surnames?

[Guest]

hi Mary have only just started to go backwards on this side of the family so not got far yet thanks for that marriage info.