Hi Pauline,
I was particularly interested in your piece about Marriage Licences: there
are so many fascinating snippets of information that I cannot bring myself
to unsubscribe!
Some 30 years ago, when working on our family history, I see that I wrote
something about Licences:
"Lewis John III was a fisherman, but thereafter there are many blacksmiths
in the family. Lewis V, with 8 children,was a smith, and it is assumed that
his brother Mathew was the smith who was father to David, 1782 and Richard,
1784. David, the smith of St Cleares, was a celebrated Chartist and
Unitarian preacher, mentioned in the DNB. His son, Richard and a grandson,
also Richard were both smiths in Laugharne, according to the censuses of
1841 and 1851. Mathew was married to Mary John by licence in 1780, but only
a fiat remains in the National Library of Wales, the only useful information
being that the witness was Lewis John, his brother. The subsequent baptisms
are mainly in the non-parochial register of Bethlehem Chapel, St Cleares, of
which the records from 1770 to 1820 are in the Public Record Office."
The marriage of Matthew and Mary is recorded in the Parish records on the
23rd July,1780. I would like to find out more if possible, particularly the
age of Mary, to try and connect her backwards., as there are other earlier
Marys. But what exactly is a fiat? From your message, it would appear that
Matthew and Lewis were the 'guarantors'. Would the ages of the bride and
bridegroom have been recorded anywhere? Lastly, is there anywhere where one
can search for other licences of this period and earlier. As I have
references to a "poor and indigent widow" in the family about that time, I
was surprised to hear that a licence was for the more well to do!
With grateful thanks for all your helpful and interesting information.
Oliver