Here's the one DOBBIE marriage and the rest of the CUNNINGHAMs : I note several marriages have nothing written for the actual marriage. These entries are all handwritten including names, residences, father of the bride, proclamation verbage and a space for the marriage date to be entered later. If there was no entry made, the space is completely blank. For some reason, the good minister or harried clerk did not enter the marriage details as he should have done. Even though this person had wonderful penmanship and asked great questions about the bride and groom....he did not have a laudable memory....he keeps forgetting to go back a few pages in the book and enter the marriage date in the blank section provided. Some of these had the word "Married" already written in the space provided. This is easily seen in the handwriting. The entry was completed in a slightly different hand, or he used another quill. Perhaps some of these marriages didn't actually take place and that's why there is no further information. But there are so many of these entries with blank spaces and no marriage details, I have to think its because he didn't go back and enter the data. ================ William DOBBIE, Tailor, residing in Simpson's Court #74, Potter Row and Margaret MURRAY, residing same place both in this Parish, Daughter of the late Peter MURRAY, Silversmith in Pleasance have been 3 several times duly and regularly proclaimed in order to Marriage in the Parish Church of St. Cuthbert's. No objections offered....[nothing further entered here, top of the page notes this was the week of 15 August, 1842, so that's the date used in the IGI]. Isabella CUNNINGHAM David MOIR, Printer residing in #23 South St. James Street and Isabella CUNNINGHAM residing in same place, both in this parish, Daughter of the late Alexander CUNNINGHAM, Labourer in Canongate have been 3 several times duly and regularly proclaimed in order to Marriage in the Parish Church of St. Cuthbert's. No objections offered....[nothing further entered here, top of the page notes this was the week of 7 March, 1842 so that's the date used in the IGI]. Elizabeth CUNNINGHAM David Smith INGLIS, Maltman, residing in #3 Newport Street and Elizabeth CUNNINGHAM residing in #13 Dunbar Street both in this Parish, Daughter of William CUNNINGHAM, Farm Servant at Rougley West Mains in the Parish of -enton [Renton?] have been 3 several times duly and regularly proclaimed in order to Marriage in the Parish Church of St. Cuthbert's. No objections offered....[nothing further entered here, top of the page notes this was the week of 20 November, 1842 so that's the date used in the IGI]. Cornelius CUNNINGHAM, Blacksmith residing in #8 South Saint James's Street and Mary DALRYMPLE residing in #23 East Claremont Court both in this Parish, Daughter of the late James CUNNINGHAM, Quarryman at Muttonhole in the Parish of Cramond, have been 3 several times duly and regularly proclaimed in order to Marriage and no objections offered....Married at Slateford on the 13th day of June current [1845] by the Reverend William Thomson, Minister of the United Associate Congregation there. George Godfrey CUNNINGHAM, Esquire residing in #12 Claremont Crescent in this Parish and Miss Isabella LAURIE residing in Lauriston, Barony of Gorbals, Glasgow, Daughter of James LAURIE Esquire of Lauriston have been 3 several times duly and regularly proclaimed in order to Marriage and no objections offered....Marriage on the 2nd day of August current [1843] by the Reverend Doctor Ralph Wardlaw, Minister of the Independent Congregation in George Street there. George CUNNINGHAM, "Lademan"? residing in Johnston's Land#32 West Port and Mary FAIR residing in same place both in this Parish, Daughter of Charles FAIR, Shoemaker there have been 3 several times duly and regularly proclaimed in order to Marriage and no objections offered...Married on the 23rd day of February current [1844] by the Reverend William Henry Goold, one of the Ministers of the Reformed Presbyterian Congregation, Lady Lawsons? Street. One of the entries I posted earlier today, that of Peter CUNNINGHAM, had no date written with it. The entry itself had no marriage details, but the page had a heading of the week of 3 June, 1844 so that's the date used in the IGI. MegG in OK =====================

Good morning Meg, This is another one of the "grey" areas in Scottish FH !!! The instances you have shown are "Declaration's of Banns " not the record of the actual marriage. Will try and explain ! A couple wishing to marry had to "declare" their intent to marry in the parish they were normally domiciled in ( hence you may get male and females entries in different parishes) which was normally one year , but varied parish to parish Therefore because the banns were "read" in St Cuthbert's it doesn't mean they had to be married there. This applied regardless of religion . I have 1. A RC man and a C of S women having their banns read in The Old Kirk , Edinburgh , but being married in St Pat's , RC chapel, Cowgate. . They were both living in Mylnes Square. 2. Two members of C of S having banns read in North Leith but being married in Dunbar parish. This being the brides "home" parish . One has to remember the C of S were first and foremost interested in all things "legal" as far as marriages and births were concerned. In general, marrying without calling the banns made a marriage illicit, but not invalid. These notes from "Scotland's People" may help to make things clearer. Parish registers may record the date(s) of the proclamation of banns or the marriage date itself or both, but only one or the other will appear in the index. There is no indication given in the index as to whether the entry is a proclamation or a marriage, but it is more usual for the index entry to show the proclamation date. Proclamation of Banns The proclamation of banns was the notice of contract of marriage, read out in the Kirk before the marriage took place. Couples or their 'cautioners' (sponsors) were often required to pay a 'caution' or security to prove the seriousness of their intentions. Forthcoming marriages were supposed to be proclaimed on three successive Sundays, however, in practice, all three proclamations could be made on the same day on payment of a fee. If the bride and groom lived in different parishes, the impending marriage was proclaimed in both parishes, although not necessarily on the same days, therefore the dates in each register may be different. You may also find that one register may show the proclamation date and the other the date of the marriage itself. INFORMATION IN AN OPR BANNS& MARRIAGES RECORD Do not expect too much from OPR banns & marriages records. The amount of information recorded can be variable and most entries contain very little detail. At best: date(s) of the proclamation of intended marriage and/or date of marriage, names of bride and groom and their parish of residence, sometimes the occupation of the groom and occasionally the name of the bride's father. At worst:the names of the bride and groom recorded along with the fee paid in caution. Good luck with your researches !! Regards John John D. Stevenson Edinburgh

Dear Meg, Thanks greatly for all those Cunninghams. Though probably most of them are not 'mine' they are as ever highly interesting. The lack of 'marriage dates' is one I've noted elsewhere - I think that if the marriage was elsewhere it was very much up to the recording person whether they included a note of it or not. I had a strange one elsewhere from Stirlingshire - the proclamation of banns was made a year before the actual marriage in a different parish.. the dates confused me no end until I got the two entries! (I do wonder, though, what intervened in that case. Illness or troubled times probably.) No sign of John Sinclair Cunningham's one though? He's the one I do know to have been in the same family... and at least one of the Williams is likely to be, but I do not know which one... Best regards, Jenny Meg said: >Here's the one DOBBIE marriage and the rest of the CUNNINGHAMs : > >I note several marriages have nothing written for the actual marriage. >These entries are all handwritten including names, residences, father of >the bride, proclamation verbage and a space for the marriage date to be >entered later. If there was no entry made, the space is completely >blank. For some reason, the good minister or harried clerk did not >enter the marriage details as he should have done. Even though this >person had wonderful penmanship and asked great questions about the >bride and groom....he did not have a laudable memory....he keeps >forgetting to go back a few pages in the book and enter the marriage >date in the blank section provided. Some of these had the word >"Married" already written in the space provided. This is easily seen in >the handwriting. The entry was completed in a slightly different hand, >or he used another quill. Perhaps some of these marriages didn't >actually take place and that's why there is no further information. But >there are so many of these entries with blank spaces and no marriage >details, I have to think its because he didn't go back and enter the data. >================