Recent news items have highlighted the fact that mothers' names do not appear on General Registration marriage certificates - on the the father of the bride and groom is given, together with his occupation. Proposals to include mothers' names have been met with positivity over the years, although as yet no change to the marriage certificate has been made.
But what if our ancestors simply ignored the "father's name" section, and included a mother's name instead? That seems to be the case with one marriage from 1872. The bride, Mary Frances Billington, names her "father" as Mary Ann Billington.
As with all genealogical research, often one piece of information leads to more questions. Had the bride's father died, and she named her living parent? Did she not know her father's name, and simply gave the name of the parent whose name she did know? Was it a protest, and she felt her mother's name should appear? Clearly further research is needed here!
