Genealogy Chat

I was wondering if anyone would have any ideas why or how I can find out, why my great grandparents were married twice.

Herbert Pipkin married Clara Alice Peedell on the 23 November 1902 at SS Mary & St John's Parish Church in Cowley, Oxfordshire then on the 24 January 1905 they were married at Headington Registry Office.

Thank you for any help.

Possibly one or both of them were under age the first time & married without parental consent, so they "married" again to legalise the situation

His military record only records the second marriage - and 2 children born in 1906 & 1912. He enlisted in 1896 and served 22 years, but I can't see a mention of the earlier marriage.

He wasn't under age, but wonder if she was - or is the church NC?

Clara's birth registration which would make her 19/20 at the 1902 marriage date

Registration event: Birth

Name: PEEDELL, Chara Alice
Registration district: Headington
County: Oxfordshire
Year of registration: 1882
Quarter of registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
Mother's maiden name: Not available before 1911 Q3
Volume no: 3A
Page no: 712

I wonder as he was a Serviceman whether he didn't obtain permission to marry?

If he was in the army at the time of the first marriage, he would have needed his commanding officers´consent, whether he was of age or not.
Is it possible that Clara was pregnant at the time? (maybe the baby didn´t survive) or possibly he was being sent abroad & they wanted to be married before he went.

His record shows he was "home" since his enlistment in Jan 1896 until 25/11/02. He was then in Jamaica and St Lucia varying dates 26/11/02 to 30/11/04 when he returned home. He had signed on for a further 12 years on 7/11/02, and then extended again "for the duration of the war" and served in Malta during WW1

Wisechild could be right, if he didn't have permission for the first marriage the army may not have recognised it.

Looks like they married the 1st time 2 days before he was sent abroad, adding credence to the theory that he didn´t have permission from the army.(Permission was needed because the army would have been financially responsible for the wife if anything happened to her husband)
Probably indicates that Clara wasn´t pregnant. If she had been, they would almost certainly have been given permission

The 2 children born to them were Caroline Alice May 20/5/1906 I think it says Cowsand, anyway it was reg St Germains, Cornwall. And Herbert John Arthur 23/8/1912 in Devonport.

On discharge from the army he was awarded a pension of £95 odd per year. I can see him on the 1911 census but not his wife or daughter Caroline.

1911 census has Alice age 28 and "Carrie" age 4 recorded separately on FMP Transcription. They are together, on the original, along with other wives and children in Elphinstone Barracks, Commercial Road, Plymouth - same place as Herbert.

Carrie would have been born at Cawsand, a lovely little village along with Kingsand - - an ideal stroll along the coastal path from the Cremyll Ferry (Devonport/Stonehouse to Edgecumbe) for a pub lunch these days. Or just get the Ferry to the Edgecumbe Arms!

Her father may have been based at Cawsand Bay Battery (Fort)

As Jane is a relatively new poster, a friendly message on how to return to her thread is on it's way to her. :-)