Genealogy Chat

Yes - I have a marriage celebrated in both the RC church & Cof E in Liverpool in 1864. It was actually featured in Your Family Tree magazine Q&A handbook in 2003 and in this case photos of the 2 actual certificates were printed - one for each church. It was what confirmed for me that I was looking at the right family as the bride was my direct ancestors sister and all names and addresses matched - saved me £7!
Unfortunately the submitter only had his name printed and I have never been able to contact him for more information as this family is one of my brick walls.

thank you for all your responses

final question - most of the example you give are from 20th century, does anyone have definitive evidence of this happening in their family in the 1860s/1870s/1880s?

many thanks

Helen

I married my OH in 1961 he is a catholic and i'm
C of E we married in my church and our children were brought up Cof E
Hazelx

I'm Catholic and when I married my non-religious hubby in 1972, we went for the 6 sessions. Imagine my distress when, at the final session my hubby said he would not promise to bring up children as Catholic!!! He was told to go away and think about it, as otherwise we could not be married there. On the 7th session he said he couldn't promise to do something in the future as he couldn't guarantee to actually do it. After about two hours the priest got him to agree to "consider bringing up any children in the Catholic faith" and the marriage went ahead! Oddly, when the children arrived he actually insisted they be brought up as Catholics.

Our first next-door neighbours were a couple with the wife Catholic and the hubby C of E, and had been married in a C of E church cos she wasn't a practising Catholic by then and it didn't matter to her. After having got to know me (well, that is my take on it!) she started coming to church again, and eventually they had a second marriage in the Catholic Church.

So anything can happen.

My grandfather, a Catholic, renounced his faith in order to marry my grandmother in her C of E church.
After he'd deserted her and she finally got divorced, the ironic thing is that she converted to the Catholic faith in order to marry her second husband, a devout Irish Catholic!!

K

My husband is a practising Catholic and i am Cof E. we married in 1957 in the Catholic Church because my OH felt it would alienate his family not to do so.
I had to take 6 lessons on the Catholic Doctrine at the church and the priest then sent a request to his superiors (cant remember who!) for permission to marry us in the Church ,because I wasnt a Catholic and didnt convert we couldn't have the complete marriage ceremony ie there was no Nuptial Mass, We did have to have the local Registrar marry us for the legal side in the Vestry before we signed the register that the Registrar brought with her.This was at that time the Catholic Priests werent licenced to do Civil Marriages

thanks everyone

If his wife was not Catholic she would have been required to convert to Catholicism in order to marry in a R C church. It was only in the 1970's this was relaxed but even then it was at the Priest's discretion

Yes, Roman Catholics can convert to Anglicanism. I remember a father and son doing so in our church about 15 years ago. You usually hear of it the other way round but it is not impossible or unlikely. Cx.

Following on from LANAnn's first post, before 1898, only jews, quakers, C of E and registrars were authorized to keep marr registers. One could get married in an authorized building, possibly of another faith, but only if the registrar attended to oversee the signing in his register. After 1898, many non-conformists were authorized to keep registers, but often not RCs. I don't know whether there was some legal ground for their exclusion or if it was just a not uncommon local practice.

Which religion does not matter in France - it is only legal after the town hall ceremony. My niece was married in France and both parties were Cof E - it applies also whatever the nationality. My niece had a v private town hall wedding & a larger church one the day after (plus a 'do' when they came to visit in England). Lucky girl - she got to wear her wedding dress 3 times!

Lancashire Ann, thanks, very interesting

is it possible that there was also a marriage in a RC church. It was quite common for a mixed marriage to have 2 ceremonies - one RC & one Protestant. Sometimes there is a certificate for both but not always as legally either the protestant vicar or registrar present for RC could produce the certificate. Perhaps it depended on which one came first (often on the same day)

thanks everyone for your replies

Yes Helen, I am a practising anglican (Church of Wales) and my husband a Roman Catholic, but we married in my church and our children have been Baptised and brought up in the Anglican faith.
It did not go down very well with my mother-in-law, but, as her mother maintained does it really matter? We all worship the same God but in a different way and of course we will all endup in the same place.!
So yes it is possible but in my experience it is not usual.

My grandmother was baptised as a Catholic but married in a C of E church. My mother and her siblings were all brought up as C of E.

My father lapst from the R.C. for his own reasons, and married my mother in a C of E Church. Mum was brought up in the Salvation Army. He never regretted his reasons. He encouraged us to visit all places of worship including R.C. Churches. Within my own direct ancestry, I also have Protestant, Presbitarian, Methodist, Quaker & Puritan, & others. I don't think it's done me any harm. If anything I've a strong regard and reverance for all faiths. I feel comfortable in all Churches.

yes, I have other instances on the other side of my tree of protestants "converting" to the catholic church and marrying catholics, but I hadn't come across it the other way round, i.e. a catholic foregoing their faith to marry in a protestant church

if anyone can confirm that this is possible would be much appreciated

i know that my grandfather went from being protestant to catholic in order to marry my grandmother. my grandmothers family were very strong on their religion and wouldn,t have given their daughter to my grandfather without the assurance he would convert. The things we do for love!!!!

As far as I know my maternal ancestors have always been Protestant, either C of E, or latterly quite a few Non Cons mainly Baptists but some Methodists.

I have my g-grandmother's birth cert, her parents are named as John Whitehouse and Harriet formerly Tyler.

I have John and Harriet's marriage cert, married at Parish Church of St Chad in Coseley in 1889. John's father Samuel Whitehouse.

I have what I think is John's birth cert, with parents Samuel Whitehouse and Catherine formerly Frost.

The only extracted baptism record on the IGI with father named Samuel has parents Samuel and Phebe, this is Phebe nee Guest, I've bought the corresponding birth cert, but it doesn't feel right in terms of place of birth.

I have Samuel and Catherine's marriage cert, at the Catholic Chapel, Porters Field, Dudley in 1857.

I guess my question is:
if Samuel and Catherine were married in the Catholic Chapel, is it likely that their son John would get married 30 or so years later in a parish church, i.e. C of E?
if this is a definite no no then I've got the wrong family

Many thanks

Helen