Free *sight* of marrieage certs in UK ?

[LaminateAnecdotes]

(NC'd - but usual form ...)

After many years, DW is finally up for digging into her past. Because her sights fucked (her words) I'm doing the leg work.

We've already picked up some inconsistencies - and that's just from the summary records of marriages.

Now because I am too old for this shit I'm sure you used to be able to visit a local council office to see the details in the registers.

Is this still possible in anyway, or is it £11 a pop via the GRO and good luck with that my friend ?

We don't need a copy of anything. Just full names and exact dates.

(I may return here to pick some brains about oddities so far noticed).

DW feels there are lots of clues about her DMs batshit behaviour that will be uncovered. She's already spotted a few outright lies in the accepted family narrative, so wants to know more.

Many thanks in advance to anyone who replies. Hope you're all enjoying the beautiful weather.

Have you tried a site like ancestry?

Have you tried a site like ancestry?

Pretty much trawled all the sites that want to charge.

Have gotten as far as getting the index volume and pages for the certs DW wants to know about. It really is just getting the exact date of marriage and (more critically) exactly who too, as even with the summary records, something most definitely isn't right.

I have an Ancestry subscription and am happy to have a look for you if you PM me. FreeBMD might also have the info depending on how long ago the marriage was.

FreeBMD might also have the info depending on how long ago the marriage was.

It's from FreeBMD I got the volume/page numbers and sight that something is amiss.

Thanks for the offer - you may yet get a PM This is DWs personal details, not mine to share. (Sadly for various reasons, there's not much in UK records for me, it would need to be US who have a different idea about the word "public" ....)

If they got married in Church then the sites do sometimes have the marriage registers scanned in, so you can see the images. (If not for the actual church, then for C of E the copy which was made for the Bishop).

And I'd start with what she does know. Who does she know married whom? Where did they live.
Then for the unknowns ask questions such as: where were they? Did they go on to have children?

If you are far enough back for the Census or 1939 register to help, this can help solve a lot of mysteries. EG. Great Aunt Lizzie had children, at least one of with was Cousin Kitty. Of the possible records of Lizzie's marriage include possible husbands Fred A, George B, and Mark C. I then see from looking up Lizzie and Fred on the census 4 years latter, that they have 3 children with a Kathleen (diminutive Kitty). Even better if you then go to the GRO index, you can search and see that Kathleen's mother's maiden name was Quasimodo - which is of course the family name.

There are lots of books that give guidance. But a lot can be "worked out" in this way by careful deduction. Although in the end you may just need to buy the certificate to make sure (and get extra information such as Father's job).

Oh and this way I have discovered my Father's first child (or was she? the dates of his war service and her birth aren't clear) by his first marriage. I also discovered the birth name of a now deceased relative, which I don't think she ever knew but did know she'd been adopted by a close relative.

Thanks for the reply.

We (I) am going to try a different tack first.

The end goal isn't necessarily getting the marriage details.

It's a long and complicated tale, as all are, but involves DWs family, most of whom we are definitively NC with (the issues around which are how I discovered MN in the first place, and I got a lot of excellent advice and support from relationships ..)

However, DW does have a step-sibling "in this town". Completely under the radar and possibly not wanting any contact at all (been 20 years). However they would certainly know the details needed to fill out the above.

Apologies for being cryptic - it's not a deliberate attempt to sex up the intrigue just to keep a but undercover ourselves.

Families are complicated. If you know a name/names of living ones you can try Facebook - but do also try LinkdIn. And in the UK 192 can be helpful, as is BTAddresses