Genealogy Chat

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Would I be able to find details of a Civil Marriage at the local Records Office, or do they just hold church records? Many Thanks Helen

Old Church registers are usually deposited in the County Records Office but Civil registers would stay in the Register Office.

Thanks Judith, So I won't be able to view the document like I do at Stafford Record Office then? So just to summerise so it's clear in my own head! - all civil marriage records are kept at the register office and in order to view an entry, I'd need to order the cert? Many Thanks - by the way, this post probably makes me sound mean - I have in fact paid for lots of certs so far, but if there's a way round it (especially when they're not direct ancestors etc) I'd rather take it and save money!!!

You can ask to visit the register office in question to search yourself 'If you know that a birth, marriage or death occurred in a particular registration district you can contact the particular register office either for a certificate if you have precise details, or for an appointment to conduct a search of the indexes, for up to six hours on any one day. It may take a few days to arrange a search owing to limited accommodation. There is a fee for this service.' (found on a Register office website) but as there a fee involved it probably wouldn't be any cheaper. How about looking in local newspapers in the County Record Office to see if there was a marriage announcement?