Scottish Marriage Certificate (1860)

The following image is of the marriage certificate for Lachlan McLean and Annie Lockhart in Glasgow on 16^th November 1860. The marriage entry is one of the most useful certificates to locate for an ancestor. It not only tells you a reasonable amount about them, for example occupation and place of residence, but it also gives you parental details. The age at date of marriage can be a reasonable pointer to the approximate year of birth and any birth certificate located can be checked against the parental details on the marriage certificate.

If you are searching for someone with a common name and you know their partner's name then the locating the marriage certificate is often the best place to start because you can use the indexes to look for the combination of the two names. This cuts down the number of entries enormously.

Description of Certificate

The form is designed as eight columns. Columns 3 to 7 are further split horizontally into two separate sections. The top for details concerning the husband, the bottom for those concerning the wife.

Entry number.
When, where and how married.
Signatures of the parties.
Age.
Residence.
Rank or profession; whether bachelor, spinster, widow or widower; relationship of parties (if any).
Name, surname and rank or profession of father; Name and maiden surname of Mother; Date and place of marriage.
If a regular marriage then the name of the officiating minister and witnesses.
If an irregular marriage then the date of Extract Sentence of Conviction, or Decree of Declarator, and in what Court pronounced.

Information on Certificate

The information on this particular extract under the nine columns:

481 - the number of the entry in the register.
On the Sixteenth day of November 1860 at Regent Terrace Glasgow marriage after Banns was solemnized between us according to the forms of the Presbyterian Church.
Signed Lachlan McLean; Signed Annie Lockhart.
21; 23.
14 Maitland Street, Glasgow; 91 Holland Street, Glasgow.
Iron Moulder, Bachelor; Domestic Servant, Spinster.
John McLean, Joiner, Janet McLean maiden surname McDonald; Daniel Lockhart, Sailmaker deceased, Annie Lockhart maiden surname Sinclair.
Signed John Graham Minister of Barrack Street Church Glasgow.
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