Opinion needed, please

[Sue from Southend]

I have a marriage in 1696 of Anthony Turner and Martha Turner
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1624/31281_a101605-00074/6997596?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk %2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fqh%3dYJ64BkE4201pCjmKFEiitg%253D%2 53D%26db%3dLMAearlyparish%26gss%3dsfs28_ms_db%26ne w%3d1%26rank%3d1%26msT%3d1%26gsfn%3danthony%26gsfn _x%3d0%26gsln%3dturner%26gsln_x%3d0%26_C000000F-n%3dmarriage%26MSAV%3d1%26uidh%3dzs8&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults 12 May towards the bottom of the page. Unusually clear the record shows their names, spinster, bachelor then states "of Brentwood in Essex". Do you think that is both of them or just the groom?


Thanks

[kiterunner]

I've never seen a marriage register like that before, Sue! Very interesting.

I found that in 1678 the marriage registers of that parish (St James, Duke's Place, London) started to include the name of the man who gave the bride away, or the name of a parish, so I would think it is the name of the bride's parish.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1624/31281_a101605-00074/6997596?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk %2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fqh%3dYJ64BkE4201pCjmKFEiitg%253D%2 53D%26db%3dLMAearlyparish%26gss%3dsfs28_ms_db%26ne w%3d1%26rank%3d1%26msT%3d1%26gsfn%3danthony%26gsfn _x%3d0%26gsln%3dturner%26gsln_x%3d0%26_C000000F-n%3dmarriage%26MSAV%3d1%26uidh%3dzs8&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults#?imageId=31281_a1016 06-00049

In 1679 they started writing Fr instead of "gave her". Later it is just F. I thought it was short for Father but a lot of them don't have the same surname as the bride even when she is a spinster, so perhaps it is short for "Friend", which was used to mean something like next of kin in those days.

[Sue from Southend]

How interesting. There seems to be an awful lot of marriages for such a small Parish and clearly couples came from far and wide to marry there. I wonder why?

Well done Kite for sussing out the entry:D

I'm hoping that Martha Turner might be the widow who married OH's Anthony Coppin….

[Nell]

Sue

This explains the marriages:

The patronage of the new church belonged to the lord mayor and commonalty of London, and the parish claimed exemption from the Bishop of London in ecclesiastical matters. It was notable in the late 17th century as a "marriage factory", with multiple ceremonies each day.[from Wikipedia]

[Sue from Southend]

Thanks Nell. I wondered if it was something like that but I only looked at Genuki - didn't get as far as Wikipedia!

I just counted the number marriages conducted 1st-25th May 1696 and there were 119!!! I wonder if the celebrants worked shifts :d