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I have today received a copy of a marriage certificate from Scotland GRO.


I wonder if there any Scottish experts out there please? -

There is a column 6 headed - If a regular marriage, signature and designation of minister or registrar and signatures and addresses of witnesses. If an irregular marriage, date of decree of declarator or of Sheriff's warrant -

It is stamped - Warrant of Sheriff-Substitute of the Lothians and Peebles dated 8 Oct 1938.

Any idea what this means and it is possible to establish why this marriage was 'irregular'?

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks
N

In a regular marriage, the intent to marry was declared to the parish and banns were read before the ceremony went ahead.

In an irregular marriage this did not happen - it was more clandestine, didn't have parental permission necessarily, and could include eloping. The ceremony was not performed by the church.

Janice

Thanks for that Janice. The Bride's parents were there at the wedding, which took place at 34 Chambers Street, Edinburgh, which I am presuming is a Registry office.

However ........... he probably could not prove who he was as he changed his name and age when he legged it to Scotland. His parents on the Scottish cert are marked as deceased, but they are false names!!

Plot thickens!!

Thanks again
Nicki

The address could be her house. Weddings often happened in "the bride's parlour"!!!

Janice

Janice

Thanks, but,

Her address is listed separately and is not that of 34 Chamber's Street.

Usually if it was in a registery office then it would say that in the first column along with a little bit about the registery act of...1932?

Having a wee nosy on the web, it looks as if quite a lot of people got married at that address. Maybe there was a hall or something people could rent out for the occaision?

Now a days Chambers street houses the Museum of Scotland, some University buildings and the Sherrif Court (located at no 27)

Mhairi

Thanks for your input into 34 Chamber's Street, Edinburgh.

As an aside, do you know where Bonnyrigg is in relation to Edinburgh - is it close? Also Gorebridge?

Much appreciated.

N

Please note that there is nothing necessarily irregular or clandestine about an 'irregular marriage' in Scotland. Rather than me try to explain all this the best thing you can do is to log on to Rootschat and search for "Sherrif's Warrant" etc etc. The circumstances are described there in the greatest of detail.

Denis

Thanks, will have a look.

N

Nicola, Bonnyrigg is 6 miles SE of Edinburgh and Gorebridge is 12 miles SE.

Liz

Alviegal

Thanks for that info.

Much appreciated.

N

Hey Nicki

I dont know too much about Bonnyrigg, I only really head out that way for the market or garden centre.

Have you tried googling? It can be a great resource...sometimes :)

Mhairi

Hi Mhairi

Have googled, but I suppose unless you have local knowledge things are that much more difficult to get answers to.

Thanks again

Nicki