Genealogy Chat

Could anybody please help to decipher the date on the image of this marriage (on Ancestry). I cannot make out the day and month at all and the year looks like 1745-6.

Dorset, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812
about John Gundry
Name: John Gundry
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 6 Oct 1745
Parish: Walditch
Spouse's Name: Ann Hone

Just seen that England Marriage records have it as Feb 11 which I think it is on the image but why 1745-6?

Because then, the new year didn´t start until April, under the old calender, so the first 3 months of the year are recorded as both.
The fiscal year still starts in April for the same reason.

FMP has -


Parish Record Collection - Marriage Record

Day: 11
Month: Feb
Year: 1745
Groom Forenames: John
Groom Surname: GUNDRY
Groom notes:
Grooms parish: Bothenhampton
Bride Forenames: Ann
Bride Surname: HINE
Bride notes:
Brides parish:
By licence:
Place: Walditch
Dedication:
County: Dorset
Country: England
Witnesses:
Record source: Dorset Marriages
Data provider: Dorset FHS


and


Year of Marriage: 1745
Last Name: Gundry
First Name: John
Supplied First Name: Jn
Spouse's Last Name: Hine
Spouse's First Name: Anne
Spouse's Supplied First Name: An
Place: Walditch
Dedication:
Possible Counties:
County: Dorset
Notes:
Record source: Boyd's 1st Misc Series 1538-1775
Data provider: Society of Genealogists

That's because until 1752 the UK was operating on the Julian Calendar when the year date changed on 24 March.

When records are transcibed as in this case, it was 11 Feb 1745 under the Julian calendar, but also had to be transcribed as 11 Feb 1746 because from our current Gregorian calendar point of view, it was in a new year.

Basically the new year changed in 1752 from 24 March to 01 Jan. Records between 01 Jan and 24 March for all preceeding years have to be transcribed as an either or. 1745-6 in your case.
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Extract from freereg transcribers page

Before 1752, the year number changed over on March 25th (Lady day). The year 1752 was the first year that January 1st was the first day of the year.

This gives us a potential little problem when recording dates before March 25th in each year.

If March 25th was the first day of the year, and let's say a couple were married on that day, in 1750. They could quite easily have a baptism of their first child on March 24th 1750 - a year later !

That's our problem. Some genealogists record precisely what is recorded in a parish register. Some record it as written, but didn't realise that in our modern calendar they could actually be referring to a different year. Some genealogists make an allowance and record 5 January 1750 as 5 January 1751 because 1751 is the "real" year in our modern calendar.

The big problem with either, is that we don't know if a genealogist or transcriber has written it literally or made allowance for the modern calendar!

So, the correct standard for writing these dates in our records (and when we transcribe registers) is in the form 1750/1. It is them extremely obvious that 1750 is what was written in the register, but it was really 1751 in the new calendar. 1749/50, 1630/1, 1699/00 etc. Easy! No confusion.

So, for all years up to and including 1751, dates between 1 January and 24 March inclusive, are written with double dates. 23 Jan 1731/2.
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Thank you all. I did wonder if it was something to do with the Calendar change.