Chapter Three – continued

Chapter Three – continued

Marriage Licenses & Indexes

Most marriages took place after the calling of banns but some may have been by licence. If the register has recorded the fact then you should consult the indexes to surviving bonds and allegations for the diocese in which your ancestor lived; they are usually held in the local Record Office.

Even if there is no indication in the register that it was by licence you should still check the indexes especially for entries that only give the date and names of the bride and groom. Much useful additional information can be obtained by this means. Many marriages also took place in the bride's parish in which case you will have to search the appropriate marriage index for the county where your ancestor lived. A great many of these marriages indexes are held privately and they do not always cover the whole of the county.

Fortunately there is a very good guide to their location: Marriage, Census and other Indexes for Family Historians, by Jeremy Gibson. These can also be supplemented by using Percival Boyd's Index of Marriages for England & Wales 1537-1837 and The Pallot Marriage Index for London 1800-1837.

Helpful Hints

1) If there is no record of a bond and allegation locally then you would be wise to search the indexes relating to the dioceses of Canterbury and York which have superior jurisdiction over all other church courts in the southern and northern parts of the country.

2) The marriage indexes are also very useful for determining the distribution of a given surname throughout the county. If you are unable to trace your ancestor's baptism or marriage a search of this nature enables you to pinpoint likely parishes to search.

Probate Records pre 1858

The location of probate records post 1858 has already been discussed. Records prior to that date are held, in the majority of cases, by local record offices. Records relating to the Diocese of York 1389 to 1858 are housed at The Borthwick Institute in York, for the diocese of Canterbury 1383 to 1858 at The Family Record Centre.

If you cannot trace any probate papers for your ancestor in the local church and or peculiar courts you should search the aforementioned.

Printed Indexes to most of the church courts have been published by the British Record Society and can be found in most local reference libraries. The Society of Genealogists in London have copies for most of England and Wales.

Much research is presently being carried by dedicated record searchers to produce Wills Beneficiaries Indexes for the majority of counties in England and Wales. Therefore even if your ancestor did not leave a will there is still a good chance that they may be mentioned in the will of someone else.

An excellent example of this is the Index for Essex which is held privately. A List of what is available can be viewed in Marriage, Census and other Indexes for Family Historians by Jeremy Gibson.

Helpful Hints

1) If your ancestor did not leave a will that was proven in the local church court or peculiar, you must still list all entries of the surname. Other members of the family may mention him or her in their wills.

2) Where there are no wills for the surname in the parish you are interested in, note all others for parishes that lie within a short distance of it and obtain copies. Very often you will find they will prove to be relevant.

3) Even if you are successful in your will searches, do not forget to examine the Wills Beneficiaries Index as well.

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Burke's Peerage & Gentry
the complete reference guide
to the UK and Ireland's
titled and landed families

www.burkes-peerage.net out.

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Come back in future months
to read more chapters on this subject.