Marriage certificates: What happens if you don’t know whether your father is alive or dead? (Plus when will mothers’ details be included on marriage certificates?)

[RickiTarr]

Not something applicable to my own situation, but was just having a chat with a work acquaintance and this issue is apparently looming for someone she knows.

(Presumably she/they will find out the answer in due course but I can’t wait and it might look odd to enquire )

So it made me wonder about this whole dads on marriage certificates business (again).

1. What goes down in that space if you know who your dad is/was but have long lost contact?

2)I thought the government were looking at adding mothers?

Big imminently? NOT imminently.

Thank you @JustLyra !

I’ve just C&Ped that into my notes.

I don't know who my dad is, so had to leave that blank. Was utterly infuriated that I couldn't include my fabulous mum, who raise me single handedly, instead. It's appalling that the people who literally made us haven't always been included.

@GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal

I don't know who my dad is, so had to leave that blank. Was utterly infuriated that I couldn't include my fabulous mum, who raise me single handedly, instead. It's appalling that the people who literally made us haven't always been included.

I completely agree. After all, far more people have a mother than have a father.

I wonder whether retrospective amendments will be allowed?

On mine as I haven’t had contact with him for years they gave me the option of leaving it blank or having my stepdads name on it.

With regard to not knowing if a parent is alive - I had that issue with my father.

I put his name on, and the occupation I last knew (apparently a bus I’ve alcoholic drug addict waster isn’t allowed though - the registrar didn’t laugh 😂). To me, probably because I’ve done my family tree extensively, I felt putting his name there was at least some help for future searchers.

I looked at it in the terms of “this is the last information I know of him”

Abusive - not “a bus I’ve” ffs

@JustLyra

With regard to not knowing if a parent is alive - I had that issue with my father.

I put his name on, and the occupation I last knew (apparently a bus I’ve alcoholic drug addict waster isn’t allowed though - the registrar didn’t laugh 😂). To me, probably because I’ve done my family tree extensively, I felt putting his name there was at least some help for future searchers.

I looked at it in the terms of “this is the last information I know of him”

Yes that’s sensible, as well as genealogically sound (and helpful now I’ve switched to thinking of it from my DC’s POV).

@100Roses

On mine as I haven’t had contact with him for years they gave me the option of leaving it blank or having my stepdads name on it.

Was that church or registry office? If it’s not a nosey question.

(I am wondering whether clergy are more renegade than registrars.)

Was that church or registry office? If it’s not a nosey question.

It was hotel wedding so went to council offices to give notice and I’m sure she asked me then how I wanted it then registrar confirmed names on the day.

@100Roses

Was that church or registry office? If it’s not a nosey question.

It was hotel wedding so went to council offices to give notice and I’m sure she asked me then how I wanted it then registrar confirmed names on the day.

Oh, so again quite flexible.

Bureaucracy is humane after all, it seems.

Hi I’m the Mumsnetter who successfully campaigned for #MothersOnMarriageCerts in 2013 gaining 70,000 signatures on my petition & quite a lot of media coverage.

Yes it’s 4th May for the first English & Welsh marriages which will record Mothers.

As previously mentioned on this thread - Fathers details are not compulsory (nor will Mothers details be).

No mechanism to formally/legally backdate the missing details sadly.

I was on Woman’s Hour a few weeks ago when the final date had been announced:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000sr3w

The last item on Woman’s Hour link above.

Some details on the campaign:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/victory-last-won-campaign-put-mothers-names-marriage-certificates/amp/

Yay @nameequality ! 🥳

Thank you so VERY much for your efforts, and your tenacity. I remember signing your petition when I was recently married (and still cross).

I haven’t heard WH for a while so I’ll start with that episode.

Thanks again.