Hi Stoker, 

Bob Green sent me this article on Presbyterian marriages and some comments. Lois Saleeba.

Presbyterian and Congregational Registers

This page lists Presbyterian and Congregational registers held at Morpeth Record Centre and Berwick-upon-Tweed Record Office. Presbyterianism was particularly popular in Northumberland, primarily because of the proximity of the northern part of the county to Scotland. In some areas for example, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Presbyterianism was more strongly adhered to than the established church.

The registers in the office are from two main sources. Many have been deposited by local churches who are encouraged to deposit them locally by the United Reform Church History Society, based at 86 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9RT (the society holds a number of original registers themselves). Secondly the Public Record Office hold over 9000 non-conformist registers dating between 1775-1837, and microfilm copies of many of the
Northumberland ones have been obtained.

Presbyterianism had several branches. The Congregationalists (sometimes known as Independents), believed that there should be no state interference in religion. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century many Presbyterians became Unitarians who combined a belief in God with reason and scientific knowledge. In 1831 the Congregationalist Union of Britain was established and in 1972 they amalgamated with the Presbyterians to form the United Reform Church. Presbyterian Churches in Northumberland often include the word Scotch or English in their name, thus indicating their origin. The Local Historian's Encyclopaedia by John Richardson briefly describes the different branches of the religion, and Pilgrims Progress the guide to an exhibition which took place in Northumberland Record Office gives a short history of Presbyterianism in the County.

With the exception of Jews and Quakers, it was illegal to marry in a non-conformist church prior to 1837. This has presented family historians with a major problem with regard to Presbyterian ancestry in Northumberland. Many Presbyterians chose not to marry in an Anglican church but to marry in Scotland in either the Church of Scotland or in a "cross border marriage centre", the most famous of which is Gretna Green. The marriage centres used by people in Northumberland include, Coldstream, Lamberton Toll, Haddington, Paxton and Mordington. There are a small number of records available relating to cross border marriages at the Morpeth Records Centre and the Berwick-upon-Tweed Record Office.

From 1837 until the passage of the marriage Act of 1898 marriages could take place in a non-conformist church provided a Superintendent Registrar was present. As a result, it is unusual to locate marriage registers from individual churches prior to 1898. This means that researchers seeking details of marriages within the period 1837-98 will almost certainly need to purchase copy marriage certificates from LOCAL Registrars - for details see leaflet on St Catherine's House Index.