Genealogy Chat

Thanks to all for your helpful suggestions. Thanks especially Robin for confirming that there really wasn't abother couple called William & Mary Ann Watts.

on Ancestry these are the census entries for George Watts born 1849-50 +/- 1 in Dorset. Never in the same place twice, but there's only the one matching the description 1861 RG9/1369 folio 26 Bridport/Whitchurch Canonicorum/ED 2 (Symondsbury, part of), page 11 Symondsbury Atrem Green William Watts, Head, Mar, 38, Ag Lab, Dorset Beaminster Mary A Watts, Wife, Mar, 37, Do Do, Do Corscombe George Watts, Son, -, 12, Do Do, Do Askerswell Eliza J Watts, Dau, -, 9, -, Do Do Thomas B Watts, Son, -, 7, -, Do Do 1871 RG10/2022 folio 6+7 Beaminster/Evershot/ED 1 (Corscombe), page 4+5 Corscombe ?ill Barn William Watts, Head, Mar, 47, Ag lab, Dorset Beaminster Mary Watts, Wife, Mar, 47, -, Dorset Corscombe George Watts, Son, Unm, 21, Ag lab, Dorset Askerswell Tom Watts, Son, Unm, 17, Do, Dorset Askerswell 1881 RG11/2122 folio 120 Bridport/Burton Bradstock/ED 6 (Askerswell and Litton Cheney), page 12 Litton Cheney Coombe Cottage William Watts, Head, Mar, 58, Carter, Dorset Broadwinsor Mary Ann Watts, Wife, Mar, 57, -, Do Corscombe George Do, Son, Unm, 31, Carter, Do Askerswell

It was also pointed out to me that a vicar may have charge of a circuit of churches and make the mistake of making entries in the wrong register.

If the couple belonged to different types of churches they may have had 2 ceremonies, one in each church so that the marriage would be accepted by both churches.

And I have seen, where the marriage took place in a sister Chapel, an entry for this and an entry in the 'main' Parish Register - same marriage, just entered twice by an over-zealous clerk. Olde Crone

Thanks Merry. It always takes some one else to point out the obvious! I hadn't considered the banns, in all my ponderings! I guess there is no answer but to dash off to the records office at the next possible opportunity, where I'm sure this will be confirmed.

I was going to suggest the Banns check. If there were two couples there would be two sets of Banns. If they were married in Cheddington (Mary Ann's parish) and William came from Beaminster, the Banns would have been read in both parishes.

I haven't properly taken in your whole message, but........ I expect the entry that isn't in the GRO indexes has been taken from the banns register rather than being a proper marriage entry..... Merry

I am hoping that some one can clear something up for me, which is proving to be a bit of a mystery. Mary Ann Burridge (baptised on 19 Feb 1817 at Cheddington) married William Watts (of Beaminster) on 16 May 1848. Of this I am sure, having found it in Cheddington parish records, however, I recently looked at the Dorset-opc site & found a marriage in Beaminster of a William Watts & Mary Ann Burridge, also on 16 May 1848! I have checked the BMD indexes, there is only one entry for Mary Ann Burridge & William Watts in June quarter 1848, & none in September, which means that one of the ceremonies was not registered with the GRO. Until I found this, I have considered that it was a mere co-incidence and two couples with the same names had married just a few miles apart on the same day, especially as in the Beaminster records Mary Ann's parish was given as Beaminster & her father is named as Joseph, but one of the witnesses was a Maria Burridge (Mary Ann had an elder sister called Maria, but she had married a Hopkins by 1848, but a younger brother Frank/Francis had married Maria Hawker in 1845) There just seem to be too many coincidences, but not enough to piece the whole story together (& although I wouldn't say it is keeping me awake at night, it is occupying many of my waking hours!!!) Also on Dorset-opc I found a baptism of Thomas Buridge Watts on 20 Jul 1853 (parents Mary Ann & William Watts) & found info on other children of the couple; George, c.1850 & Eliza Jane c.1851 (both born in Askerswell) from a census (I can't remember which, probably 1861, & I haven't noted where they were living at the time or where I found the census entry!) I have also found a William & Mary Ann Watts & their son George, in 1881 census, living in Litton Cheney, but their birthplaces (except George) don't match with what I have. The more I look & try & cross reference everything & double check, the more confused things get! I know this is a bit of gobbledy-gook, & hope some one can make sense of it & in the hope that things will be a little clearer, & hope there are some answers to my problem. Thank you for taking the time to read this, LIZ