Query regarding marriage registration

[Susie Q]

Hello All,
I have a marriage cert dated 18th March, 1911. They were married "by declaration" before witnesses, in Edinburgh, there is a stamp " Warrant of Sherrif- Substitute", dated 18th March, 1911. What I find puzzling is that the marriage wasn't registered until nearly a year later on 3rd Feb., 1912, in Glasgow. Can Anyone enlighten me ?
Thank you
Susie

[Currie]

Hello Susie,

There's information about Sheriff's Warrants in this thread, including, “Once the warrant was granted you could go off to the registrar to register the marriage”.viewtopic.php?t=488#p4280

I haven't been able to find any information about a time limit to when to register. Probably none.

More information here. https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpol ... /marriage/

Hope that helps,
Alan

[Susie Q]

Thank you Alan, that was very informative. I think the reason for the "irregular"marriage may have been that the bride was "with child", and the parents did not approve. the couple did however register it prior to the husband going off to war in 1914. He didn't return, I wonder if she would have received a widow's pension if they HAD NOT registered, hmm ?
Thanks again
Susie

[paddyscar]

"by declaration" does not require registration, but often is. There are any number of reasons they didn't register it immediately.

My grandparents held off registering their 'declaration' by only a few days, likely because it was an inter-faith marriage that wouldn't go over well at home.

To register this marriage, they would have to go to the registry office, and dear knows who might spot them and take the news to the family; some people preferred to hire unattached people so there would be no conflict with work hours/workplace and home;
maybe they wanted to register when they were going to have a child or even being in armed services and chose to marry before the extended assignment.

There may even have been pressured to register, once the cat was out of the bag.

Sure to be more stories about how/why this might have occurred.

Paddyscar

[Currie]

The practice of delaying or avoiding the registration of an irregular marriage for which a Sheriff's warrant had been issued came to an end in 1916.

From the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1916.

1.—(1) The parties to a joint application for warrant to register an irregular marriage under the Marriage (Scotland) Act, 1856 (in this Act called a "joint application") shall, before presenting the same to the sheriff, procure from the registrar of the parish or district in which such irregular marriage was contracted a Schedule of Particulars in the form as nearly as may be of the Schedule to this Act, and the said registrar shall be bound upon the production of the joint application to furnish the said Schedule of Particulars and to fill up the same according to the information supplied by such parties to the best of their knowledge and belief.

(2) It shall not be lawful for the sheriff to grant warrant to register any irregular marriage unless there is produced with the joint application the said Schedule of Particulars filled up as aforesaid and signed by the parties to the joint application.

(3) The sheriff clerk shall, within three days from the granting of any such warrant, transmit the joint application and warrant with the relative Schedule of Particulars to the registrar of the parish or district in which the irregular marriage was contracted, and such registrar shall forthwith enter such marriage in the Register of Marriages kept by him as provided in section two of the Marriage (Scotland) Act, 1856.


Lots of interesting info in this research publication, 2013, by Eleanor Gordon, University of Glasgow. “Irregular Marriage: Myth and Reality”. There's a reference at the bottom of page 12 to WW1 widows pensions and separation allowances etc.
http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/70000/7/70000.pdf

Alan

[Susie Q]

Thank you Alan.