Eve: > >Does anyone have an idea how long you had to resided in the parish > >to become of this parish at your wedding > >or rather should i say how long and not be of the parish > It is a little complicated. > If the clergyman was careless and permissive, then 3 weeks. If the clergyman was careless and permissive, and if the parish was in a large city, then no time at all. I have ancestors from rural Worcestershire who married at Birmingham St Martin in the 1830s without any apparent sign of ever living there. Of course none of us can be sure at this distance, and there may have been an aunt, cousin or friend with a convenient accommodation address. More recently, I know that my own parents married without residence in exactly this way in 1950 by giving an aunt's address as their own. Why? Because they liked the church. Little is as it seems. Best wishes Paul Prescott --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.576 / Virus Database: 365 - Release Date: 30-01-2004

Recently the custom was to leave a suitcase in the parish where you wished to get married - this was done for the necessary three weeks. That was how my parents were able to be married in Chelsea Old Church. We did it the "proper" way by getting a special licence, which involved my wife and father in law in a special visit to Dean's Yard in order to get it. But this wasn't straightforward because we were married in Guildford Cathedral which was not a parish church. Christopher Richards ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Prescott" <paul.prescott@toranean.freeserve.co.uk> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 11:00 PM Subject: Re: [OEL] of this parish > Eve: > > > >Does anyone have an idea how long you had to resided in the parish > > >to become of this parish at your wedding > > >or rather should i say how long and not be of the parish > > > It is a little complicated. > > If the clergyman was careless and permissive, then 3 weeks. > > If the clergyman was careless and permissive, and if the parish was in a > large city, then no time at all. I have ancestors from rural Worcestershire > who married at Birmingham St Martin in the 1830s without any apparent sign > of ever living there. Of course none of us can be sure at this distance, > and there may have been an aunt, cousin or friend with a convenient > accommodation address. > > More recently, I know that my own parents married without residence in > exactly this way in 1950 by giving an aunt's address as their own. Why? > Because they liked the church. > > Little is as it seems. > > Best wishes > > Paul Prescott > > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.576 / Virus Database: 365 - Release Date: 30-01-2004 > > > ==== OLD-ENGLISH Mailing List ==== > OLD-ENGLISH Web Page > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ > >