On 10/10/2012 1:08 PM, Jenny De Angelis wrote: > HI Sheila,>SNIP< > If you have the original image from the parish > register then that is the best copy of the marriage entry you could ever > have as it is what the couple signed, or made their marks to, at the time > they married. A copy of that parish register entry would be sent, by the > vicar conducting the marriage, to the Registrars office who then makes > another copy to send on to the General Register Office, GRO, who then make > up the GRO index that we can access on line. Making copies in this way can > leave things open to errors creeping in, as Nivard said. >SNIP< One small point on your comprehensive reply. The local Registrar forwards the clergymans Quarterly Return to the GRO, rather than making yet another copy. The curch retains two (supposedly identical) registers, each being signed by the parties. When the pair of registers is full, one is retained by the church (and may end up in the local archives), the other is sent to the local Registrar for safekeeping. Until this happens, the local Registrar is unable to issue marriage certificates from that register. A few marriage registers still in use are those issued in 1837, tho' attempts are being made by most local registrars to call them in for closure and issue of new registers. Once the Registrar has a register, he, as well as the church and the Registrar General, can issue certificates. But GRO certs (pre-computerization) are always certified copies of certified copies, never certified copies of entries in registers (with a few exceptions where the GRO does have the registers). Mike Foster's two part work, "Comedy of Errors" remains the standard work with many illuminating examples of how the registraon system worked (and failed to work) in practice. Kind regards, John Henley

Thanks to everyone for this great information, which has saved me money LOL Believe it or not I am actually a marriage celebrant so deal with marriage certificates on a regular basis, but I am in Australia and the rules are obviously different in different countries, and also for different generations . cheers Sheila >SNIP< One small point on your comprehensive reply. The local Registrar forwards the clergymans Quarterly Return to the GRO, rather than making yet another copy. The curch retains two (supposedly identical) registers, each being signed by the parties. When the pair of registers is full, one is retained by the church (and may end up in the local archives), the other is sent to the local Registrar for safekeeping. Until this happens, the local Registrar is unable to issue marriage certificates from that register. A few marriage registers still in use are those issued in 1837, tho' attempts are being made by most local registrars to call them in for closure and issue of new registers. Once the Registrar has a register, he, as well as the church and the Registrar General, can issue certificates. But GRO certs (pre-computerization) are always certified copies of certified copies, never certified copies of entries in registers (with a few exceptions where the GRO does have the registers). Mike Foster's two part work, "Comedy of Errors" remains the standard work with many illuminating examples of how the registraon system worked (and failed to work) in practice. Kind regards, John Henley 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message