Genealogy Chat

I recently spoke to someone at a local registry office about looking at a marriage license and she was really rather rude to me saying that it was only for the RO to look at. Maybe she'd just had a bad day.

Kate LOL - I did start to do that - I didn the short ones first: http://uk.geocities*com/zoelinkson/anthonyrennoldson.html http://uk.geocities*com/zoelinkson/johnrennoldson.html But work got in the way of William's lengthy tomb so I've still to get it all done: http://uk.geocities*com/zoelinkson/williamrennoldson.html

By the way, I usually transcribe those pages and pages of scribbly old writing using Microsoft Word and then send my contacts the transcription. But that is thanks to my mother forcing me to learn touch-typing after my O'levels! Kate.

Kate - that's brilliant thank you. I'll try my luck at LMA tomorrow but if they can't help I'll head online to British Origins CB - yep. Done all name variations as well. Most common is Reynoldson but we also get Rennison and Renison too at some point when they fancy a bit of a change. Becasue Wiliam left a brilliant 6 page will naming wife, children, niece and nephews I've then been able to trace the Wills of those nephews which gave me more information on ther parents so I can say with 100% certainty - he's the brother of X. Y and Z and the son of A and B. I just can't prove it without having to make my contacts trawl through pages and pages of documents in scribbly old writing. I'll keep trying - I refuse to be beaten by him. Z x

Ooh, Zoe, I've got some brilliant news for you! This is on British Origins: View records - Marriage Licence Allegations - Faculty Office 1701-1850 Search criteria: Last name: RENNOLDSON + Close variants First name: WILLIAM + All variants Year range: 1267 to 1910 There may be anomalies where bride & groom names are mixed up - more details. If you find anomalies please contact us. Click column heading links to change order of results Licence Date Last Name 1 First Name 2 Last Name 2 First Name 2 Order Original 13 Feb 1834 RENNOLDSON William NICHOLL Emma You can order a 'hard copy' of it from British Origins! http://www.britishorigins*com/ But you do have to subscribe to their site to do this - still, you can get a 72-hour subscription for just a few pounds. Not sure how much the hard copy will cost, but maybe £10? If you do get it, I would be very interested to know what information you get from it cos there are a few marriage licence allegation entries on that site relating to my family and I can never decide whether to spend the money to buy them. Kate.

No, there are no Rennoldsons or Reynoldsons on the disc at all. Kate.

The London marriage license allegations CD has very very little indeed from the 19th century, so little that it hardly seems worth looking on there - but I shall dig it out and check for you! But nearly everything on there is 16th, 17th or (some) 18th century. Sorry if I sound bitter but I bought it expecting it to cover the date range given and found none of my rellies on it at all! Kate.

Have you had a look on Archive CD Books site in case they have anything relevant? I'm pretty certain they do have London marriage license allegations. Christine

When did he died, Zoe? He might be in one of the metropolitan cemeteries, rather an overcrowded churchyard, if he could afford a decent restingplace.

Zoe, Just a thought - Could he have been recorded in error as 'Reynoldson' ? That's a name I've seen before, but I've never heard of it spelt 'Rennoldson' until I read your post. CB >|<

thank you both I'm off to the LMA on Monday so I'll try my luck there and see what they have or if they know where I should go. I'm 100% sure he was CofE because he married and had both his daughters baptsed tin CofE churches - and his siblings can all be found being baptised in All Saints Newcastle (I've had the films verified from LDS data) - William just appears to be particularly avoiding any form of record himself. Thank goodness he had a lot of money to leave or I'd be convinced I'm descended from an immaculate conception. hey ho - there's only about another 300 LOndon churches to search for his burial in anyway. Zoe

A good many record societies have provided indexes to licence allegations and/or bonds. Surrey, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Devon have good series. The more modern licences seem to have less detail, so by 1834 you may not get much more than place of residence and whether of full age or not. Sometimes, particularly if you cannot find baptisms, it may be a suggestion that the couple were nonconformists. In Lambeth at one period, every couple where one was not 'of this parish' were married by licence. This seems so bizarre that I can only assume it was to stress that their settlement was outside the parish.

I've had a look at the info on marriage licences in the exhaustively researched 'Ancestral Trails' book by Mark Herber. He says that many licences would not survive, but marriage licence allegations (info provided to obtain a licence) do sometimes survive. They give names, ages, occupations, place of residence, whether bride/groom are single/widowed and where they were to marry. If either of the couple was under age it would give infomation about the person giving consent to the marriage. Marriage licencesare held at county records offices, but if the licence was issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury it would be at Lambeth Palace Library; if by the Archbishop of York, its at the Borthwick Institute. nell

still on th e trail of my elusive WIlliam Rennoldson of whom I can find no baptism, burial or his first marraige - so therefore have no clue about his first wife and am unable to confirm my findings of his parents. I have him on ancestry for his 2nd marriage in 1834 to Emma Nicholls at Stepney St Dunstan (Pallots marriage index) I've just now noticed that the original image says 'Lic' and then the number 9 beneath it. I've not done marriage licences before so can anyone tell me if it's possible to view the licences or the material relating to the sponsors etc at all? And if so what am I likely to find - or does it vary? Cheers Zoe

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