Interpreting choices: what can we infer from where our ancestors married?

Abstract

This article analyses a sample of 1,052 weddings reported by family historians as taking place between 1837 and 1952 in order to build up a picture of the characteristics of those marrying in a register office or registered place of worship under the Marriage Act 1836. It situates this data in the context of the national-level statistics in order to provide a more nuanced picture of the religious affiliation of those marrying in a registered place of worship and to determine whether those who married in the register office exhibited different characteristics to those who did not. It also analyses the changing legal framework in order to show how this determined the options that were available to couples at different times. Finally, it identifies what inferences can be drawn from the wording on the marriage certificate, for example whether a marriage is recorded as being conducted ‘by’ or ‘before’ a particular person or ‘according to the rites and ceremonies of the parties’.