Marriage registers face changes
A new bill proposes replacing marriage register books with a new electronic system, enabling mothers’ details to be recorded in England and Wales for the first time
The historic tradition of signing the marriage register could become a thing of the past if new legislation is approved by Parliament later this year.
Conservative MP Edward Argar has put forward a private members’ bill that proposes replacing the traditional marriage books kept in churches and register offices with a new electronic system.
Crucially, the centralised database would enable the names and occupations of the couple’s mothers to be recorded in England and Wales for the first time.
At present, the pre-printed pages used in registers only allow for fathers’ details to be included, unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, where both parents can be added.
The issue has been the subject of several major campaigns, with supporters labelling the inability to include mothers’ names on marriage certificates “outdated” and “sexist”.
A 70,000-strong online petition in 2014 was supported in principle by former Prime Minister David Cameron, but a private members’ bill put forward by Labour MP Christina Rees the following year was unable to gain ministerial support.
Another bill by Dame Caroline Spelman, mainly focusing on the creation of an electronic registration system, also failed to make progress.
However, Edward Argar told BBC News he was hopeful that his Registration of Marriage Bill – combining the main elements of the two failed bills – would be given Royal Assent and become law as early as summer 2017. He also said that moving to a digital system would save the taxpayer “millions of pounds in administrative costs” in the long-term.
Although the recording of additional information could prove useful to genealogists of the future, some researchers were more sceptical of the proposals.
Peter Calver, founder of lostcousins.com, said too often decisions were made without “considering the impact on our heritage”.
“I’m all for modernisation but there are some things that are worth keeping, and the romance surrounding marriage registers is surely one of them,” he told Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine.
“I suspect that churches would continue to maintain registers as a service to the couples who marry there – they might even start handing out certificates of their own in return for a fee.
“The net effect could be that couples end up paying twice, once for the statutory certificate and once for the one that reminds them of their special day. And all because of a change that is supposed to save money.”
At the time of going to press, the Registration of Marriage Bill had passed its second reading in the House of Commons and was awaiting committee stage, where it was due to be given a detailed examination. To view the current progress of the bill, visit bit.ly/MarriageBill.
The new system could save the taxpayer millions of pounds in administrative costs