Genealogy Chat

Some of us have queried why a woman could sign her name at her marriage but sometimes put an x for the registration of some of the children. I was reading an article yesterday which said that sometimes working women or women with half a dozen other kids would send a relative or friend to register the baby and they would put an x rather than sign the mothers name. Interesting, but makes sense.

Heather It sometimes gets even more confusing. I have the original marriage certificate for my Mum and Dad which I acquired when my mother died, both parties sign. seems fine although I know for a fact my mother has never been able to read or write. I must say Im tempted to send of for a copy to see what it appears then Sue

I also heard about it being the other way round. Sometimes the wife at marriage only put her mark as she could sign her name but hubby couldn't so she didn't want to embarrass him. Also in large parishes such as St Mary's in Nottingham all the information was already written out before the ceremony and they often assumed people couldn't write and just asked them to make their mark. I doubt any happy couple would say but vicar I can sign my own name. Pippa

Yes its interesting isnt it. Perhaps that was the case and even if they could sign they wouldnt question someone in authority then would they.

I have a Will from 1937 in which my gt gt uncle signs with a X, not because he was illiterate, but because he was blind. The Will was obviously dictated because one of the legatees' surnames is spelt Hockings instead of Hawkins. nell

Apologies for an old thread but I read an article today, re. signing and then making a mark at a later birth registration. It suggested that with a baby in her arms, the new mother found it easier to just make her mark. Another suggestion was that they were invited 'to make a sign' ( ie a cross) rather than 'to sign' ( their name).

you have got me thinking, when a cert is is supplied from the GRO, is it a photo copy of the Original, or a copy of a transcription......I have noticed that on some marriage certs, the handwriting throughout appears(to me) to be the same hand,except where there is a '' MARK of'' I believe that when it is supplied from the local registar office, it is either typed, or handwritten, any way Bob...

Bob The GRO supply a photocopy of a copy. The original stays in the church register or the register office. But the photocopied copy will be an image of the copy made at the time of the event. This is why the handwriting is sometimes hard to read as it is old. In my experience, local register offices write or type out copies as they are requested, so they are modern. nell

I've found that some of my later certificates are scans of the original (inc. my birth certificate. I'd recognise my Father's signature anywhere) but I have put that down to the fact that from the 60's on, in London anyway, the original registers were probably sent off and photostats kept. (or other way round) The only other certificates I have that are copies of the originals rather than transcriptions are scans of parish registry entries and those from Scotland

I have had typed and handwritten certs from local offices and very occassionally a proper copy of the original cert, with all the rellies sigs on it. On one occasion I needed to compare the sig on a marriage cert with the sig on the same man's will from a cuple of year later, to be certain they WERE the same man! I only had the GRO copy marriage cert, so I phoned the local registrar and explained what I needed. The lady there told me that the ledger with ''my'' cert in it was too thick to be copied - the book wouldn't open flat (she said this is why local certs are usually handwritten or typed and that registrars would much prefer to copy the entries (by photocopier, I mean) because it's quicker and omits the chance for errors), so she traced the original signature with a bit of tracing paper and posted that to me!!!!! ......and the sig matched perfectly!! Hooray! Merry

For marriages, so far as I know, the only way you'd get a copy of the original with the various parties' signatures in their own hands is if you get a copy of the original Church (or Register Office, only if that was where the ceremony took place) Registers. Otherwise it's a transcript. Christine

thanks for the replies, folks, confirmed my suspicions.....Bob

I mainly get my certs from Local ROs and always ask for a photocopy if possible. Usually, they phone to say if there is a problem with that, such as the original ledger being too fragile to be opened out. But I have noticed that some early marriages (say, 1840s) appear to be a photocopy of the Church Register, particularly when it was 'Registrar Attended'. And of course, a Registry Office Wedding will have the original signatures on the certificate. Olde Crone