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Proof of who you are for a marriage??

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  • Proof of who you are for a marriage??

    Ok peculiar question. When you got married in the 1920's, especially in Scotland, did you have to prove who you said you were with any paperwork? I have a person who came from England, married in Scotland and changed his name prior to the marriage. Also the details on the marriage cert of his parents and origins are complete lies.

  • #2
    I'm curious to know, if the name is different and the parents' information is 'wrong', how do you know that it is the right person? Forgive me if that's a daft question, I have a lot to learn!
    Main research interests.. CAESAR (Surrey and London), GOODALL (London), SKITTERALL, WOODWARD (Middlesex and London), BARBER (Canterbury, Kent), DRAYSON (Canterbury, Kent), CRISP (Kent) and CHEESEMAN (Kent).

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    • #3
      I’m not sure what you mean about the groom’s origins being wrong. Marriage certs of the period do not show where a person was born. They only show the forename, surname and occupation of the father and the forename, surname and maiden surname of the mother and also whether either were deceased at the time of the marriage. The parents’ origins are not required either.
      Last edited by GallowayLass; 21-01-20, 21:15.

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      • #4
        Is this a church marriage or a marriage by declaration that you have?

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        • #5
          No proof required though the reading of Banns should in theory give the family or the public a chance to raise any objections to the marriage.

          Scotland; An irregular, though legal, marriage could be contracted in Scotland without prior formalities or previous residence requirements. Nor was parental consent required for those under the age of 21, and marriages were legal for girls as young as 12, and boys as young as 14, until 1929, when the marriage age was raised to 16. The Marriage (Scotland) Act of 1856 insisted that at least one of the partners live in Scotland for a minimum of 21 days.

          By showing proofs of their marriage the parties could obtain a warrant of a sheriff or sheriff substitute to have the (irregular) marriage registered by the local registrar. The 1930's
          http://www.flickr.com/photos/50125734@N06/

          Joseph Goulson 1701-1780
          My sledging hammer lies declined, my bellows too have lost their wind
          My fire's extinct, my forge decay'd, and in the dust my vice is laid

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          • #6
            when my parents married 1951 dad used a different name to the one on his birth certificate. when he died 1977 mum had to put both names on death registration.

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            • #7
              No, you don't/didn't usually need to prove who you are. In a registry office, you re warned that it is an offence to give false information, so it is up to the informant to tell the truth.

              In the uk until very recently, you could use any name you wished as long as it was not intended to feloniously deceive or impersonate. You could change your name every day of the week if you wanted - your name is whatever you call yourself and whatever people recognise you as, so unless he was trying to impersonate someone else, he was doing nothing wrong.

              OC

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              • #8
                Ok. I should have been a bit more specific, my fault. I know for a fact that the person concerned used the same surname but a different fore name when he got married and used that one for the rest of his life. He also, as stated, gave completely false information regarding his father, he was in fact illegitimate, and his, supposed, fathers occupation. I was just wondering whether this was in fact legal but from replies it would seem that it is.
                Thanks for the advice/replies anyway.

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                • #9
                  If you mean was the marriage legal, yes it was. To be legal, each party has to be free to marry and of marriageable age and to know what they are doing. I have many a marriage cert where the father's name was "wrong" but it depends what you mean by wrong. Often it was the name of someone who brought them up (grandfather, uncle, stepfather) and sometimes sheer fiction to cover the embarrassment of being illegitimate.

                  OC

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                  • #10
                    A person should marry in the name "they use or are known by" at the time of the marriage - there is nothing to say that has to be what is on their birth certificate. Likewise giving father's details is optional and not required as a part of the marriage ceremony so getting the name wrong, or even inventing a fictional father isn't relevant to the legality of the marriage.
                    Retired professional researcher, and ex- deputy registrar, now based in Worcestershire. Happy to give any help or advice I can ( especially on matters of civil registration) - contact via PM or my website www.chalfontresearch.co.uk
                    Follow me on Twittter @ChalfontR

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                    • #11
                      Some of the greatest works of fiction I've ever read are not books but certificates relating to my family history.
                      http://www.flickr.com/photos/50125734@N06/

                      Joseph Goulson 1701-1780
                      My sledging hammer lies declined, my bellows too have lost their wind
                      My fire's extinct, my forge decay'd, and in the dust my vice is laid

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                      • #12
                        Great and thanks all. That has answered my question.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Glen in Tinsel Knickers View Post
                          Some of the greatest works of fiction I've ever read are not books but certificates relating to my family history.
                          I love your response, Glen, and how very true for many of the rest of us too! :D

                          Jay
                          Janet in Yorkshire



                          Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

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