Marriage cert vs Ancestry doc - Genealogists' Forum

Sue at the seaside · #1 13-11-12, 09:14

Was talking to a friend about his tree, he was saying that the document on ancestry (which he called the banns) has the name of the brides father, whereas the marriage cert that he got some years ago has no father!

I've had a look at the Ancestry document and as far as I can see it's the marriage record. Why would the marriage cert and the doc on Ancestry be different?
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?h...id&pid=6078056

Hope that link works, it's the one at the bottom!

Any ideas?

kiterunner · #2 13-11-12, 09:42

There are a couple of possible reasons - either the copy sent to the register office and / or GRO was not filled in correctly, or the copy that your friend was sent years ago was typed up or copied out by hand by a register office / GRO clerk who copied it out wrong. I have examples of both in my tree - a copy of a marriage cert which my grandfather ordered many years ago when he started trying to trace his family tree, and the name of one of the fathers has been copied out totally wrong by the GRO clerk, and one which I ordered from the GRO where I got a copy of the actual certificate but it had one of the fathers' names wrong, and when I finally got to see the image of the church register copy it was different.

Olde Crone · #3 13-11-12, 09:54

I have three copies of the same marriage cert - photocopy of the original church register, handwritten at the time copy of the local RO cert and a photocopy of the GRO cert. All are different and have different/transposed information, which I put down to a catalogue of transcribing carelessness on the part of several people over the years.

OC

Merry · #4 13-11-12, 12:04

Quote:

Why would the marriage cert and the doc on Ancestry be different?

Basically, human error somewhere along the line (or in more than one place!!) as others have said.

I don't think I have any certs with a mistake such as has been mentioned already, but the GRO cert I got years ago for my great-grandparents shows the bride as a widow. The original, which appears on Ancestry's LMA records, shows her as a spinster, but corrected to widow. Only a minor difference, but quite interesting to me as she was neither a spinster or a widow, but a wife! (though her husband had deserted her).

Phoenix · #5 13-11-12, 12:18

The marriage register for Chulmleigh, Devon is full of errors and inconsistencies. The surnames for fathers of the spouses were transposed, witnesses omitted etc etc.

I have often wondered whether the copies sent to the GRO were amended, or if there was any comeback from head office in the face of such glaring mistakes.

Uncle John · #6 14-11-12, 10:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phoenix

The marriage register for Chulmleigh, Devon is full of errors and inconsistencies. The surnames for fathers of the spouses were transposed, witnesses omitted etc etc.

I have often wondered whether the copies sent to the GRO were amended, or if there was any comeback from head office in the face of such glaring mistakes.

It's all down to the requirement for the vicar to consume any left-over consecrated communion wine at the end of the service!