Thread: Witnesses to many marriages

Whilst browsing the London, Marriages and Banns for Newington I found two unfamiliar names entered as witnesses for my ggg grandparents. I then realised that these two names kept popping up as witnesses for other marriages, quite a good few in fact, (three on one page) all seemingly unrelated to each other.



I appreciate that there were various reasons why family members weren't witnesses, but I wonder if anyone knows if the church employed people to do this or if they were clergy perhaps? and if it was common practice.



This was the early 1800s



Thanks

This happend a lot in marriage registers,when I enquired at my local registery office about it,I was told the name that appeared on so many in my home town,was in fact a registerar and must have signed for the couples who had no one else to do it for them at the time





Lincs Lady

Many thanks for your reply.



This is so interesting because on the face of it, it doesn't seem in keeping with the rest of the family. Mostly parents, brother's and sisters were witnesses. Perhaps the parents disapproved.



I was very surprised to see how many of the marriages were witnessed by these registrars.



No doubt, I'll never know what my particular circumstances were. How frustrating!



It's rather like the very odd baptisms I have for four siblings, well I hope they're siblings. Two were baptised in one church and the other two in another church two days later.



Anyway, thanks again for clearing up this question for me.

Parish clerks often acted as witnesses. Probably because they were literate. Many people wouldn't have been very confident writing their name.

Yes I did notice that one of my family just about managed her maiden name as a witness but couldn't write her new surname when she married.