Genealogy Chat

I recently ordered my g-grandfather's marriage certificate and I was surprised to see 6 witnesses listed! I recognise 5 of them but the 6th has linked me to a branch of the family that I didn't know about, I just have to figure out how they connect in! Was this fairly normal (1916) and does anyone know if there any restrictions on how many witnesses you can have sign the register?

Four witnesses signed my marriage certificate. I don't think that there is any restriction. Gillian

Well............ As I am having great fun (not) trawling the Hampstead Parsh Registers I can say the greatest number of witnesses I have found for a marriage was over 15!! ....Can't remember exactly how many but 17 rings a bell.....In 1829 I think it was a 'society' marriage......And therefore deffinetly not one of mine :)) Chris

I've never come across more than two before, but as you say, wedding witnesses can provide invaluable clues to other lines of research. When looking at parish registers, it's best to copy down EVERYTHING that appears on the document as witness names which appear meaningless at the time can later be the key to knocking down a brick wall. I tried for months to find the family members of my great great grandmother but got nowhere. Going for a longshot, I contacted someone on this site who had the (unusual) name of one of the wedding witnesses on his tree. It turned out that he was my gggrandmother's brother and that although the certificate said she was a spinster, she was in fact a widow and her 'maiden' name was actually her first husband's surname, hence me being unable to trace her as a child. This discovery opened up for me one of the largest branches of my family.

from another perspective we have several parish records of marriages in the same parish and the same witnesses appear on each of them . Were puzzled as to the connection till found they were'professional' witnesses who signed marriages when required cos the marriage was just between the bride & groom. Shirley

I found eleven witnesses to one wedding, and joy of joys, it was the double wedding of two brothers. The Vicar had used the Banns Book as the marriage register and it seems anyone who wanted to, signed as a witness. The mother of the grooms got so excited she signed each page twice! OC

My grand mother has 5 witness's on her marriage certificate, her mother, father, and eldest sister and 2 more people ive yet to identify, maybe only those 5 attended ,so they all signed so nobody got left out!! lol!! she married a Greek man in Manchester so he probably had no family attending. Nicky

I have a number of marriage certs where there are four witnesses......I must admit to being a little surprised, as I'd previously though that two was the accepted norm........ Reg

I should have said, mine was for a marriage in 1795. OC