Marriage can be traced back earlier to the dawn of civilisation with family groups being established to create a safe environment in which to breed and raise children.

And throughout recorded history marriage has taken place in many forms and rituals.

Various rules have applied at different times and in different cultures. Some marriages take place between specific family groups; western society is monogamous (where a man takes one wife) others are polygamous, where many wives are taken as the norm.

In many societies the visual mark of marriage is the wearing of a wedding ring, a tradition which is believed to have been established in ancient Rome when it was thought the vein in the ring finger led directly to the heart – proving that romance and love has been the key to a lasting union.

It was in Rome that adultery was eventually outlawed, leading to the establishment of the western outlook on marriage. The early church added weight to this by decreeing that marriage had been sanctioned by God and should be recognised by a Christian ceremony.

The later records of these ceremonies provide a rich hunting ground for the genealogist and family historian.

Until the 1750s marriage was usually conducted out of the spotlight between the two parties and their families.They had been recorded as a matter of course in some parish registers from the mid-16th century but mainly in a bid to prevent clandestine marriages, Hardwicke’s Marriage Act of 1753 gave the state full control of marriage. From that point marriages which had not taken place in the Church of England or the synagogue were rendered invalid.

This new law led to great resentment from people who did not want the ‘nanny state’ interfering with their alleged common law rights. Quakers, nonconformists and Roman Catholics in particular felt it to be a great infringement of their rights.

A woman sacrificed much when she got married. She was considered her husband’s chattel – all her possessions passed to the husband on marriage and she had little or no rights, except as provided under the wills of their husbands.

A widow was usually granted a ‘third’ or widow’s dower - entitling her to live in the family house, ‘if she remain unwed’ in the future. This contrasts with today’s view of marriage which is as an equal partnership or contract which can be annulled, though usually at some cost, to the parties involved.

Rules regarding courtship and marriage in Victorian England were particularly strict. A man had to be formally introduced to a prospective partner and only after various meetings in the company of chaperones were they allowed to be seen out together. The formalities as seen today in the TV dramatisations of Jane Austen et al are a true reflection of how it was.

For the genealogist, marriage certificates which date from 1837 onwards are a huge source of information. They identify the name, age and status of the parties (giving you the wife’s maiden name); date and place of marriage; occupation of the husband and the names of the parties’ fathers, along with their occupations. Witnesses to the marriage are also recorded.
If the father's name is different to the bride or groom, it could indicate illegitimacy or remarriage, or in more recent times that the father was a foster/adoptive parent.

On many early certifcates the parties to the marriage would either sign or, if illiterate, write an X (their 'mark.') However, the certificates rarely contain original signatures - these being on the civil/church registers themselves.

When searching for a marriage do not think that the marriage would take place at least nine months before the first-born - in the mid 19th century around one third of all brides were pregnant when they got married.

Prior to 1837 parish registers are the best source, with banns books and marriage bonds also worth consulting. If you are fortunate enough to have Quaker ancestors their records give very detailed accounts of both parties’ genealogy. Some nonconformist registers also contain quite full entries.

If you can not find an entry in the parish record you are consulting, try a neighbouring parish - population movements before the advent of the railways were fairly limited. Marriage usually, but not always, took place in the bride’s parish and the rules of marriage as laid down in the Church book of Common Prayer were sacrosanct. For example, I was trying to find a marriage record of my x2 great grandmother, Margaret Mawdsley. I thought she was married to a man called William Seddon as I had traced the couple’s gravestone at Bickerstaffe parish church. However all I found in the parish register was the marriage of Margaret Mawdsley to a Richard Seddon. It turned out Richard had died and Margaret had subsequently co-habited and had children by, his brother. As a woman could not marry her husband’s brother, there was no official record of the union.

The Mormon church website – www.familysearch.org – contains thousands of marriages. As mentioned in earlier articles, these entries need cross referencing with the original parish register entry before you accept them as fact. There needs to be a good reason why your Mr Smith from Liverpool married a Mrs Jones from London in Cornwall - even though the dates match!

The freebmd website www.freebmd.org.uk/ gives access to many of the civil registration marriage records (from 1837). Although incomplete, it enables you to locate a possible marriage and send for the marriage certificate.

The GenUki database www.genuki.org.uk/ is a fantastic resource for the location of parish registers and on-line resources. The Society of Genealogists www.sog.org.uk/ will also steer you in the right direction.

Liverpool Record Office archive.liverpool.gov.uk/ has a number of helpful guides and an on-line catalogue to consult.

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