| For general information see
Introduction to Civil Registration |
The Exploring Family History Tutorial
Marriage Certificate
Available for Marriages after July 1st 1837
|
Task: Identify and obtain the marriage certificate for James Horwood |
The quickest way to search the Marriage Certificate index is by using the FreeBMD web site.
| First Name | James |
| Last Name | Horwood |
| From | Mar 1855 |
| To | Dec 1863 |
| Type | Marriage |
| County | Middlesex |
The search produces 3 responses:
|
Marriages Mar 1857 |
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| Horwood | James | Kensington | 1a | 51 |
|
Marriages Dec 1859 |
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| Horwood | James | Clerkenwell | 1b | 809 |
|
Marriages Jun 1861 |
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| Horwood | James | Shoreditch | 1c | 338 |
By clicking on the page you can get all the marriage partners on this page and the 1861 entry gives
|
Marriages Jun 1861 |
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| Horwood | James | Shoreditch | 1c | 338 |
| Shaw | Henry | Shoreditch | 1c | 338 |
| Town | Mary | Shoreditch | 1c | 338 |
There should be a 4th entry (2 marriages per page of the register) - giving 2 male and 2 female names, but as one of them is Mary Town, who is the mother of Thomas William Horwood (view), there is no difficulty in deciding which was the right marriage certificate, which was obtained from the General Register Office.
| Marriage solemnized at | St James Church | |
| in the | Parish of Shoreditch | |
| in the County of | Middlesex | |
| When married | June 30 1861 | |
| Name and surname | James Horwood | Mary Town |
| Age | Full | Full |
| Condition | Widower | Spinster |
| Rank or Profession | Butcher | - |
| Residence at the time of Marriage | 15 South Street | 15 South Street |
| Father's name and surname | Thomas Alfred Horwood
(deceased) |
William Town |
| Rank or profession of father | Butcher | Publican |
| Married in the | District Church after Banns | |
| By me | Tho. Pugh | |
| This marriage was solemnized between us | James Horwood | Mary Town |
| in the Presence of us | Charles Corner
Elizabeth Town X her mark |
|
Witnesses are often related to the happy couple. and Elizabeth Town (who couldn't write her name so made her mark) is almost certainly a close relative of Mary Town. Further investigation might show that Charles Corner is related to one or other of the couple, perhaps by marriage. The "of full age" unhelpfully does no more than say that the couple had passed their 21st birthday.
| Result of
Investigation
As expected, the certificate has identified the church where the marriage occurred, additional information of the couple's parents, and the name of two witnesses. However there is a big surprise (not mentioned in the bible (view)) as James Horwood is a widower - which immediately raises the question about what happened to his first wife, and were there any earlier children |
Page created November 2005