Marriage Entry help

[weeweegie]

Have a marriage entry (groom aged 24y bachelor, bride 18y, spinster) concerning a great uncle who was married in Glasgow Jan 1922 by 'warrant of sheriff substitute'. I am making the assumption that a pregnancy was involved as there were no banns just a 'declaration in person' by two 'witnesses', however I cannot find any record of a successful pregnancy before 1923. Are there any other explanations worth considering?
As an aside, they subsequently divorced in 1935 (written alongside the marriage entry) as she 'ran off' with his best friend aleaving their 4 sons at Quarriers Home. Can I find any further info regarding the divorce/Quarriers Home?

Thank you in anticipation.

[Russell]

Hi WeeWeegie

There were several types of marriage in Scotland. We accept the religious form of marriage but it was also perfectly acceptable to Declare intention to marry then have this declaration formalised by Warrant of the sheriff substitute. The earlier practice of marriage by habit and repute was on the way out as the other two forms were legally notified and recorded and by the post-war period more and more formal documentation was required in all walks of life. Not everyone wished to have a religious form of wedding so 'by Declaration' was the alternative. In my family it was often the choice when a couple were older than usual. Pregnancy was rarely a consideration. I wonder if there might have been parental disapproval of the partner. Sometimes there would be disapproval if there was a difference in social class.
I'm sitting here with a drink of lemonade on my Quarriers coaster so I'm qualified to give you an answer on that question. I worked there for a dozen years after retiring early from the health service.
As you are a relative you could write directly to the Archivist, Quarriers Homes, Quarriers Village, Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, giving names, dates, and what happened to the children. They have digitised their extensive archive and most records were quite detailed.

Russell

[weeweegie]

Russell,
Many thanks for the information. I had no idea about the marriage situation in Scotland in this respect - will obviously have to do considerably more 'history' swotting. Had made the pregnancy assumption as so many of my ancestors had 'proven' fertility prior to marriage.
Will also follow up the link to Quarriers, I know what happened to the youngest of the four boys as I grew up knowing him but have no idea what became of the others.
Thanks again for your help

Karen

[AndrewP]

For more information regarding irregular marriages in Scotland, have a read at the following topic in the TalkingScot Library.

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=11070

All the best,

AndrewP

[trish1]

Russell,
I had no idea about the marriage situation in Scotland in this respect - will obviously have to do considerably more 'history' swotting. Had made the pregnancy assumption as so many of my ancestors had 'proven' fertility prior to marriage.
....

Karen

Hello Karen

I loved this comment as based on my family research I thought it was compulsory to be pregnant before marriage in 18th/19th century Scotland & England.

Trish

[Russell]

Hi Trish

Oats were a staple in Scotland so lots were sown. Marriage was a good way of taming them.

russell

[weeweegie]

Hi Trish
Had made this comment slightly TIC based on a more modern tale (1960s/70s) from a friend who lived in remote Arab villages around the Lebanon/Israel/Syria borders whereby on betrothal it was incumbent on the bride to be to become pregnant in order to prove that she was fertile before the wedding ceremony could proceed. It just seemed like my own ancestors were abiding by a similar practice or perhaps as Russell suggests it was all wild oats!

Karen

[jennyblain]

Hi Karen,
Just to give another instance of this from the 1920s - my parents were married by declaration before witnesses on the occasion of my mother's 21st birthday. Her wedding ring had this date inscribed inside it. (I only ever once knew her take this ring off, which was when I'd asked about this, during a long interview I did with her on family history, and she took it off to show me.) My father then moved to Dundee for a new job, and they shortly after decided to 'officialise' the marriage by warrant of sherriff-substitute, so there's an entry which shows the addresses of both, my father now in Dundee and my mother's address given in Glasgow at her parents' home.

The entry shows the names of two of the original witnesses - there were, of course, many more, as the declaration was at the party for her birthday, with people sitting round a table, at her home I think - and gives the usual other information, the couple's parents' names and the occupations of both partners as journalists.

As far as I'm aware, both parents considered the declaration as their 'proper' marriage, and the other as a convenience, which I suppose it would have been in these days, for instance in getting a rented house, registration with a medical practitioner and other things on the move to Dundee as a couple!

best,
Jenny
(Unlurking, and praising Andrew for getting the site up and running again!)