#1
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Bride's name on signature in marriage entries
I'm currently transcribing Worksop Priory marriages from the 1760's for FreeREG, and I've found that from 1764 onwards, a lot of the marriage entries have the bride's name in her signature or next to her "mark" in the form Mary Smith late Brown. Then in 1766 they switch to Mary Brown now Smith. In a lot of cases where the bride has signed her name, the "now Smith" bit is written in different handwriting from hers, so it was obviously added by the vicar, curate or clerk. I can't see what the point would be of adding this to someone's signature. Has anyone else come across something similar?
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#2
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I would imagine it is just a quirk of the vicar or the like, Kate. I've certainly never seen anything similar.
Perhaps after the new marriage registers were introduced he decided to be punctilious in recording the details. |
#3
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Thanks, Elizabeth. He took over as vicar in 1758, when they already had the new type of register, but this type of signature only starts in 1764.
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#4
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How odd. Did he continue in that vein throughout his tenure, Kate?
By the way, how far do your Worksop registers go up to? I know you are doing marriages, but OH's father was born in Worksop in 1913 and I don't have a baptism for him. I suspect he was baptised as a non-conformist, though, as the parents married in a Wesleyan chapel in Sheffield. |
#5
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I wonder if it was just a nitpicking attempt to clarify her surname and maiden name?
I suppose it is just possible that if Mary Smith signed as Mary Brown, someone later might think it was a Brown marrying a Brown, rather than a Brown marrying a Smith! Incidentally, is the handwriting contemporary with the period? I have occasionally seen marginal entries in PRs which have obviously been entered by a modern hand (in biro in one case!). OC |
#6
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A real long shot but perhaps an enquiry, visit or arrival of a family member of Dr Robert Thoroton had a bearing on things. Dr T had a bearing on the recording and archiving of much of Notts history. There is even (allegedly) a family pedigree for one of my lines as a result of a death in Lincolnshire compiled for the very early days of the Thoroton society but enquiries so far have yet to discover it.
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Joseph Goulson 1707-1780 My sledging hammer lies declined, my bellows too have lost their wind My fire's extinct, my forge decay'd, and in the dust my vice is laid My coal is spent, my iron's gone My nails are drove, my work is done Lord receive my soul |
#7
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Quote:
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#8
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#9
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Thanks for the information, Kate. It's something I shall have to look into.
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#10
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I have a page from the marriage register of Great Dunmow Essex (Jun 1766-Feb 1767) where the brides have signed, or made their marks, in the 'Mary Smith late Brown' format.
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