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Archiver > LONDON > 2000-02 > 0950148528


From: Eve McLaughlin <>
Subject: Re: NEWINGTON REGISTRATION DISTRICT
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2000 02:08:48 +0000


In message <000101bf713e$10d26c40$>, Barbara Mallyon
<> writes
>Hi John,
>
>I have some Marriage Certificates which are a joke, I think the vicar
>used to like a drink before the Wedding, I even had a phone call from
>the Reigate, Surrey Registry Office, warning me that the vicar had
>made a lot of errors in the Parish Register and had tried to correct
>them. Th

>The Fathers occupation of the Bride and Groom were the wrong way
>round,
>he got the wrong name for the Groom on another Certificate, and
>various other mistakes,

This does happen - once a clergyman was appointed, he could stay till he
dropped (parson's freehold) at one time. So there were some very
elderly clergy, some deaf, some a bit wanting, some cranky and careless
- and some, as you say, a bit keen on the Communion wine.
Deafness if the most frequent cause of error. He could's hear what the
people were saying (maybe in a thickish accent) and simply made a stab
at it. Butthe fact that he did some corrections meant he was conscious
he was making mistakes and did try to correct some.

It is good that the Registrar tried to explain -otherwise you would
either blame him, or think your own information was wrong


--
Eve McLaughlin

Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians
Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society

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