Marriage Certificates

[BC Wench]

This got me thinking while transcribing parish registers for FreeREG.

After the marriage ceremony, the bride, groom and witnesses go to sign the marriage register. So, why does the bride sign in her maiden name not her new surname, because she's already said "I do" etc. etc. and they have already been pronounced husband and wife before the register is signed?

[Antie Em]

Is it because she isn't legally married until all the signings have been done.

[snoopysue]

Is it because she isn't legally married until all the signings have been done.

That sounds right, because it's not legal unless it's witnessed, and signing the register is the proof of not only the ceremony, but also that it was witnessed!

I was married in Denmark, and like the UK it has to be witnessed, but no-one signs anything, and the certificate was all ready for us. The only place you can see who the witnesses were will be the parish register, not the certificate! Banns aren't read, so the only place we've signed was the paperwork for the marriage license!

[SRD]

You say Banns aren't read, but that's particular to certain churches, presumably yours are Lutheran and not Established where it isn't necessary, but you must have made earlier civil statements, which are presumably binding in law, for the certificates to be ready prepared.

It's all to do with the C of E being an Established Church, therefore certain priests are considered to be civil servants of a kind and have the role of Registrars and can oversee the signing of the legal (civil) documents. Other, non-qualifying, churches have to have an official Registrar at the service or a civil ceremony at the Register Office has to be performed as well as the church one.

[BC Wench]

Thanks folks for your thoughts. Good thinking Maggie, why didn't I think of that

When Ken and me got married by licence at the Register Office (England), we had to have a Notice of Marriage which was displayed on a board at the Register Office for 15 days. Our copy of the marriage certificate was already written out by the Registrar, including our names and the witnesses names (not signed by any of us), but of course we all signed the Registrar's copy of the certificate.

So, another thought. When you get married in a Church, does your copy of the certificate have your signatures on?

[grangers14]

Mine has ours and the witnesses signature too!
Jo

[snoopysue]

You say Banns aren't read, but that's particular to certain churches, presumably yours are Lutheran and not Established where it isn't necessary, but you must have made earlier civil statements, which are presumably binding in law, for the certificates to be ready prepared.

It's all to do with the C of E being an Established Church, therefore certain priests are considered to be civil servants of a kind and have the role of Registrars and can oversee the signing of the legal (civil) documents. Other, non-qualifying, churches have to have an official Registrar at the service or a civil ceremony at the Register Office has to be performed as well as the church one.

Being the Danish Folkekirke, it is of course the Established church in Denmark! We signed only the documentation for the license, which is our intention to marry, I doubt that we'll have been entered into the parish record until after the ceremony, but as I said the marriage certificate was prepared before hand.
As far as Banns go, you're correct in that the Folkekirke is Lutheran, but previously a couples intention to marry was entered in the parish register (as Banns were in the UK), whether or not there was an announcement at a church service I don't know. If a couple was under age, a license was obtained from the monarch (kongebrev) - this was noted in the parish record.

[SRD]

Being the Danish Folkekirke, it is of course the Established church in Denmark! We signed only the documentation for the license, which is our intention to marry, I doubt that we'll have been entered into the parish record until after the ceremony, but as I said the marriage certificate was prepared before hand.
As far as Banns go, you're correct in that the Folkekirke is Lutheran, but previously a couples intention to marry was entered in the parish register (as Banns were in the UK), whether or not there was an announcement at a church service I don't know. If a couple was under age, a license was obtained from the monarch (kongebrev) - this was noted in the parish record.

Thanks for the correction, but is the priest a licensed Registrar in the same way that Anglican priests are?

[snoopysue]

Being the Danish Folkekirke, it is of course the Established church in Denmark! We signed only the documentation for the license, which is our intention to marry, I doubt that we'll have been entered into the parish record until after the ceremony, but as I said the marriage certificate was prepared before hand.
As far as Banns go, you're correct in that the Folkekirke is Lutheran, but previously a couples intention to marry was entered in the parish register (as Banns were in the UK), whether or not there was an announcement at a church service I don't know. If a couple was under age, a license was obtained from the monarch (kongebrev) - this was noted in the parish record.

Thanks for the correction, but is the priest a licensed Registrar in the same way that Anglican priests are?

Yep!

There is a curious thing about Danish parish registers, regarding births. Regardless of faith, all births (together with parent(s) names) are recorded in them, at the time of the birth. Then when the person is baptised the name of child, godparents etc are added. If the parents were married out of the parish, they would have to provide proof of this marriage, otherwise the child would be recorded as illigimate. I have found some on my husbands side, where all the mormon children are there, in some cases the child's name has been added as the father has notified the church, but this didn't happen on every occaision (he had loads of kids!). The other curious thing is that he often recieved money from the parish (due to being poor), even though he wasn't a member of the church (and therefore not paying church taxes). This is really a case of love thy neighbour!
All in all the Danish records are really good, vacinations were recorded in the parish records, confirmations are there too, and parents names were recorded on burial records, regardless of how old the deceased was! The down side is that although they're pretty much all online, there is no comprehensive searchable database, so it's a case of knowing where to look, and then searching through the records, page by page.
For one of my husbands ancestors, her parents never married, and her father is consistently recorded as "C Sørensen, soldier, from Aalborg"! That's one needle in a haystack!

[SRD]

Interesting, so why do you have to go to the civil authorities at all?

[BC Wench]

Thanks all for your replies.

[Antie Em]

Surprising what you learn on here from just one simple question - eh Barb xxxx