Marriage at Church opposite Old Bailey

[tenterfieldjulie]

Can anyone make a guess why on 7 June 1840, David Ware (Baptist) & Sarah Climpson (C of E), would marry at St.Sepulchre-without-Newgate, at Holborn, London? I am not aware of any criminal past :eek: and it is some distance from where they lived at Chesham. Thanks Julie

[HarrysMum]

Found a David Ware marrying Ann Jones in 1733. It was a Fleet marriage.

Got sidetracked......sorry......I'll look for your fellow now....

[HarrysMum]

Was there a reason either of them couldn't marry in their own parish??

I'm thinking the differences in denominations........was either under age?? or...already married??? lol

[Merry]

lol sidetracking again, but I love the cert - marriage by banns so one of them should be 'living' in the parish of St Sepulchre at least for the three weeks whilst the banns were read, but they both have Chesham Bois, Bucks as their address!

I see they both said they were 21 years of age almost exactly a year later for the 1841 census, so perhaps they knew their marriage would be objected to by someone at home?

[HarrysMum]

Merry......was that church one that did Fleet marriages??? I thought they were around the prison area.

****back to Merry's search****

[Merry]

was that church one that did Fleet marriages???

I've no idea Libby, but didn't the practice stop in 1754?

[HarrysMum]

Yep.................you're right.

[Olde Crone]

What was the groom's occupation?

OC

[tenterfieldjulie]

David's father, George, was a farmer but I think David was a farm labourer.
George remarried a wealthy widow Catherine Abbey about 6 weeks after David and Sarah were married. My interest in where they were married is what connection they would have to the church, especially as you said banns would have been read. I suppose Sarah could have been working in London? Sarah's parents the Climpsons were married in High Wycombe and I would have thought they would have married thre. Apparently where they were married was the church mentioned in the Rhyme "Oranges and Lemons" as the Bells of Old Bailey. Maybe they liked the rhyme. Thanks for your thoughts ladies. Julie :)

[Olde Crone]

The reason I asked is because the church is known as the Musician's church. It also houses the Royal Artillery chapel.

But that doesn't seem of any significance here, does it!

OC

[Merry]

A Harriet Climpson married at the same church in 1844 to Joseph Pearce. She could sign her name whilst your Sarah didn't, but father's name and occ matches (I realise Wm, labourer isn't a very difficult match!). They give their addy as 30 Hosier Lane.

Possibly connected?

[Merry]

If I had to guess I would say your couple married away from home because they lacked parental approval (possibly because of their varying denominations) and they were both minors.

[tenterfieldjulie]

Merry,
You say "they give their address as Hosier Lane", is that London and who are they? I have not got a copy of the marriage cert. only info from someone.
Someone suggested that maybe Sarah was working for a family who had a country house near Chesham and a London house near Holborn.
From your info there may have been a family connection if the two sisters married there.
As both David and Sarah were minors would they have needed parental consent? David and Sarah's daughter Sarah, I now notice, was born in following January which may have hurried on the marriage.
I like the idea of a musical connection to the church and not to the Old Bailey!! Many thanks, Julie

[Merry]

Hosier Lane is in St Sepulchre. I don't know who they are, but I wondered if Harriet was a relative of Sarah. I have several of my Maynards travelling from Cambridgeshire and Herts to Bloomsbury to marry.

As it happens, I can't find a sensible Harriet in 1841 or a certain match for the couple after they married, so am stuck with that! lol

David and Sarah would have needed consent to marry if it was known they were under age. However, it says Full Age on the marriage entry in London, so they said they were over 21 and were believed! I expect they wouldn't have got away with this if they had tried to marry at home.

[Nell]

Although St. Sepulchre has a bell which was rung when a Newgate prisoner was to be hanged, it doesn't follow that every marriage involved a criminal! My husband's gt x 3 grandparents were both baptised in St. Sepulcre. One of their sons ended up in Parkhurst, but the other 11 children were quite law-abiding!