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Marriage Practices in 1800's

Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 1:41 pm
by indigrl
Through researching a family branch from Cavan, their Heritage Centre told me the marriage of that set of GG Grandparents would be found within the parish every other record I had on the from ( they didn't find it but I did a few weeks ago in the same parish) I have also heard that many marriages took place in the Bride's Parish, not necessarily shared by the Groom.. My O'Connor-Fitzpatrick family can be traced to Ballyea by November 1840 till after the turn of the century. Does anyone know if the same holds true for Clareabby/Clarecastle/Ballyea Parish? Was this parish a place people came to occupy but not raised in?

Danielle

Re: Marriage Practices in 1800's

Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 3:15 pm
by mgallery
I cant really understand what your question is ? What is your point about the Cavan marriage ? I cant follow it ?

Up until the 1820s or so a lot of Catholic marriages took place at home as there were no churches. This was often in the bride's home but could have been in a relative's home. There will not be church records of these marriages obviously but sometimes there are newspaper announcements for those slightly better off.

A Catholic marriage up to this day often takes place in the parish either the bride or groom lives in. This is at least partly to ensure that they are not already married and that the marriage is not bigamous. The marriage can also take place where their parents live as the parents' house can be assumed to be their permanent home until marriage. It is possible to get married elsewhere but to do so the couple have to obtain letters of freedom for every parish that they have lived in saying that they are free to marry. It is often easier to just get married in your home parish.
Yes traditionally the wedding takes place in the bride's parish but not always. My grandparents were married in the early 1900s in Barefield. I don't know why. Neither lived in this parish.

I don't know what you mean by the last sentence "was this parish a place people came to occupy but were not raised in ?" People always moved around and may have moved into towns in search of work. In Clare they could well have moved into the bigger towns like Ennis and Kilrush to work.