Marriage help

[Asa]

According to Boyds Marriage Index on FMP, an Edward Mason (Edw Mason) and Dorothy Night (Dy Night) married at St James Duke's Place in 1696. St James Duke's Place is on Ancestry and it doesn't appear in the transcriptions and I can't see it looking through 1696. Am I an idiot?

[kiterunner]

I can't see it either, and I looked at Jan-Mar 1695/6 as well as 1696 proper. There's a marriage at the very end of December 1696 which is all crossed out but is Edward somebody. I don't think his name is Mason, though.

Boyd got his information from the parish registers, bishop's transcripts and marriage licence records, so it could be that the marriage is only in the BT's or that they applied for a licence to get married at that church, but then didn't get married, or at least not using that licence. Or it could be a mistranscription.

[Asa]

Thank you for looking. It's really frustrating because I'm after an Edward Mason marrying a Dorothy in London first child baptised 1696. Grrrrrr

[Phoenix]

Hi Asa

I was at a lecture given by Else Churchill on London Ancestors. She had mentioned both St James Dukes Place (which just before the period you are interested in had had a lot of clandestine marriages!) and the registers on Ancestry, so I put your query to her.

If the marriage is in Boyd, it should be in the registers. It might be sensible to search three months either side 1696, in case he has interpreted the dates slightly differently. But if all else fails, contact her at SoG, because the entry ought to be there.

[Asa]

Phoenix, thank you so much for thinking of me. I'll take a calmer more methodical look at a few years later on and do as you say if I can't find it. I have quite a few marriages there from families who lived in St Leonard Shoreditch so that's interesting what you say about clandestine marriages - was it a sort of Fleet Rules loophole?

I was looking for the baptisms of some children mentioned in Edward Mason's will and found Susannah daughter of Edward and Dorothy Spitt. Of course when I look Spitt refers to Spitalfields but there's no surname at all. Between the registers and transcriptions it's not surprising we struggle! All good fun :-)

[Phoenix]

A previous vicar was clearly doing a lot of "no questions asked" marriages - and was sent to prison for three years.

I'm just amazed anyone can do any research in London that early - people can hop about so much.

[Asa]

Thanks Phoenix - it used to be a lot harder before the London Ancestors project!

I did email Else Churchill yesterday but I've actually just found why the marriage isn't there - I found it on Google books in transcriptions - it's 30 Apr 1696 and going back to Ancestry I've seen that the pages 140 and 141 where it should be are missing :S