City of London

[Mandy in Wiltshire]

This is the first time I've come across a birth, marriage or death in the City of London so I'd appreciate some help please :)

I've just received the marriage certificate (1838) for OH's 3x great-grandparents. They were both resident in High Wycombe at the time of their marriage (which is what we were expecting) but their marriage took place in the Parish Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West, City of London.

Firstly, why would they have both been resident in High Wycombe but married in a City of London parish? Would it have had anything to do with the groom's father being a 'gentleman'? The church was, and still is, in Fleet Street.

Secondly, the parish registers are apparently held at the LMA. I seem to remember a while back something about the LMA being closed - was that just temporary or have the records been moved?

Thanks to anyone who can help :)

[Sue from Southend]

Can't help with why they might have married in the City but the St Dunstan's records are part of the LMA records available on Ancestry. If you don't have access post the details and I'll have a look!

[Jill]

Some of the City churches are guild churches, did the family have any connection with a particular trade/profression? A quick google reveals St Dunstans had links with cordwainers & Hoares Bank.

[Mandy in Wiltshire]

Can't help with why they might have married in the City but the St Dunstan's records are part of the LMA records available on Ancestry. If you don't have access post the details and I'll have a look!

Thanks for your help, Sue, I've sent you a message :)

[Mandy in Wiltshire]

Some of the City churches are guild churches, did the family have any connection with a particular trade/profression? A quick google reveals St Dunstans had links with cordwainers & Hoares Bank.

Jill, I found the website for St Dunstans in the West and it says that it became a Guild church in the 1950s for people working in and around Fleet Street. I'll have another look because I didn't see anything about cordwainers and bankers.

I don't know the trade of the groom's father because under occupation, it just says 'gentleman'. It's all very interesting because this is the first time I've had any dealings with the City of London, the LMA and a gentleman lol.

[Merry]

If neither of them had an address in the parish then the marriage should not have been by banns. Was it?

[Mandy in Wiltshire]

If neither of them had an address in the parish then the marriage should not have been by banns. Was it?

Ooerr, it looks as though it was! The writing's not terribly clear but I can make out the bit where it says "....of the Established Church after Banns by me" and instead of his full name, he's just put his initials followed by "Bishop's Curate".

[Merry]

I think he wrote W C Bishop, curate - so Bishop was his surname!

For the banns to be read one of them would have had to give an address in the parish, but I guess if the curate knew that wasn't their regular address he was at liberty to write their usual address on the cert.

[Mandy in Wiltshire]

I think he wrote W C Bishop, curate - so Bishop was his surname!



Oh what a fool I am *blushes* :o How did you know his initials were WC??

I'm wondering if they were married there because the groom's father had some connection with Fleet Street and that particular church?

[Merry]

Oh what a fool I am *blushes* :o How did you know his initials were WC??



Because I'm psychic?!! I looked for a marriage in that church in 1838 to see what he wrote and, as it happened, the one I looked at (out of dozens) was the one for the people from High Wycombe!




I'm wondering if they were married there because the groom's father had some connection with Fleet Street and that particular church?

Maybe. My relatives tended to marry in London when they shouldn't have been marrying at all, but maybe yours were not so naughty!! lol

[Nell]

Mandy

My ex had ancestors in the Covent Garden area of London. They married in Romford, Essex. I couldn't understand why, as their parish church was St Martin in the Fields, which is a lovely church.

Turns out that the bride's aunt, who she was very close to, lived in Romford, so I'm guessing aunty hosted the wedding.

It might be of course that your lot wanted to be somewhere away from their parish for reasons unknown - because the bride was pregnant, because they didn't want to invite people who might have thought they should be invited, because they didnt' like the local vicar?

[Mandy in Wiltshire]

Because I'm psychic?!! I looked for a marriage in that church in 1838 to see what he wrote and, as it happened, the one I looked at (out of dozens) was the one for the people from High Wycombe!


Did you get that info from Ancestry, Merry? I haven't got Ancestry at the moment, I've got Findmypast, so Sue (above) has offered to have a look for me.

Mandy

My ex had ancestors in the Covent Garden area of London. They married in Romford, Essex. I couldn't understand why, as their parish church was St Martin in the Fields, which is a lovely church.

Turns out that the bride's aunt, who she was very close to, lived in Romford, so I'm guessing aunty hosted the wedding.

It might be of course that your lot wanted to be somewhere away from their parish for reasons unknown - because the bride was pregnant, because they didn't want to invite people who might have thought they should be invited, because they didnt' like the local vicar?

Thanks, Nell. I'm pretty sure that the bride wasn't pregnant (unless it didn't survive) because there's only a baby with them on the 1841 census, 3 years after the marriage. It's nice having a little puzzle :)

[Merry]

Did you get that info from Ancestry, Merry?

Yes, that's right.

[Mandy in Wiltshire]

Sue's sending me a copy of the image; I've got all the info already but it's only a copy from the GRO, so we'll be able to see the original signatures :)

[Mandy in Wiltshire]

Many thanks for kindly sending me the image, Sue. It's great to see all their signatures and I was pleasantly surprised that they could all write :)

[Sue from Southend]

You're welcome Mandy.

Very few of mine signed their own names.... but they weren't the offspring of Gentlemen :d

[Mandy in Wiltshire]

You're welcome Mandy.

Very few of mine signed their own names.... but they weren't the offspring of Gentlemen :d

It's the first time I've come across a gentleman :) Disappointingly, he's not mine, he belongs to OH (his 3x great grandfather) lol.

It has printed out really well, all the signatures are very clear. Thanks again!

[Joan of Archives]

I'm not sure I would take the word Gentleman too seriously, just in case. One of mine put his father's occupation down as "Gentleman" on his marriage cert, yet his older brother had put the correct occupation as Coachman a few years earlier. I wouldn't mind but the father was already deceased by the time they both married so I think younger son was trying to big himself up a bit lol! :d

[Merry]

I suppose, Joanie, if his father was dead he was being truthful in that his father did not need to work for his living, so in that sense he was a gentleman!! lol

[Mandy in Wiltshire]

I'm fairly sure that I've found the groom's father on the 1841 census listed as a Schoolmaster, so I guess it's quite likely he could have been a gentleman living on his own means?

[Joan of Archives]

I suppose, Joanie, if his father was dead he was being truthful in that his father did not need to work for his living, so in that sense he was a gentleman!! lol

Ooo I never thought of that lol! :d:d:d