I have a couple who married in the registry office at Stockton on Tees in 1868, neither was baptised as a Roman Catholic. They were both well over 21 years of age. I think that at that time Civil Marriages were a new thing and maybe some people who didn't bother with going to church and all it entails thougt it hypocritical to marry in a church. Maybe the bride's parents objected to her marrying a catholic or his parents objected to him not marrying a good catholic girl, who knows? In the case of Catholics marrying in a registry office it might be that the priest refused to marry the couple if one was not of the faith, priests seem to have had a lot of sway over people I think back then. Regards Jenny DeAngelis. Spain. > Does anyone know how common register office weddings would have been > around > 1919? > My grandfather George married at Bishop Auckland register office in August > that year and he is the only person in my family history who seems to have > opted for such a wedding at this time. Given that he was from a Catholic > family (although I do not know much about the faith of my grandmother) he > would have been aware that he was not getting married in the eyes of God > and > there would have surely been some who did not look too favourably on the > register office marriage.