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The oldest marriage certificate

Pauline

Pauline

LostCousins Megastar
Following on from what Peter wrote in the latest newsletter about the oldest marriage certificate, I have copies of some similarly old certificates relating to some of my ancestors.

The certificates themselves are dated 1819 so not quite as old as the one shown in the newsletter, but they relate to a baptism in 1775, a marriage in 1795 and a burial in 1818. The originals are at the LMA and I think copyright restrictions might prevent me reproducing them here.

Interestingly, there is an error on the 1818 burial certificate, with the year given as 1813 rather than 1818. The year in the original register is unclear, but I'm pretty sure it was 1818, not least because it was in the register between 1817 and 1819!
 
That's interesting - why do the London Metropolitan Archives have those certificates? Is it in connection with probate?
 
Sort of - they were amongst the records of some solicitors who acted for the Manor of Colham (near Hillingdon) and it was about confirming who was next legally entitled to hold some property, the current holder having recently died.
 
The oldest I have is from my 5 X Great Grandparents, from 1774. The best view is at http://www.freshford.com/grist1.htm the family tree below the image does contain errors but cannot be updated as the site manager has abandoned it. The site does however have a wealth of historical data on Wiltshire.
 
Rhian said:
The oldest I have is from my 5 X Great Grandparents, from 1774. The best view is at http://www.freshford.com/grist1.htm the family tree below the image does contain errors but cannot be updated as the site manager has abandoned it. The site does however have a wealth of historical data on Wiltshire.
Click to expand...
Many marriage licences have survived - they were retained in case the declarations later proved false. The sums of money pledged were always large, and sometimes enormous.
 
peter said:
Many marriage licences have survived
Click to expand...
Yes, I have copies of lots of old marriage licences, but as you say, old certificates are much less common.

I remembered later that there was a 4th certificate with the 3 I mentioned above - for a baptism in 1797.
 
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