What Information Will I Discover In A Scottish Marriage Certificate ?

Civil registration began in Scotland in 1855 and this year was the first and finest of all the subsequent years.

The amount of information requested in the certificates was astonishing and it was decided that the difficulties of obtaining in every case, these very full details made it impracticable.

Under the Scottish Registration Act of 1854, every couple marrying regularly had to fill up a Marriage Schedule, have it signed by the officiating minister and the witnesses to the marriage, and send it within three days to the registrar of the parish where the marriage took place. Since in the early days some couples were illiterate, or had difficulty filling in the schedule, the minister could fill it in for them, and check the details, but there was no legal compulsion on him to do this properly, and some ministers were slow, or careless, about their duties.  

SCOTTISH WEDDING PAINTING

Scottish Marriage Certificate

The additional information on the 1855 Scottish marriage record is :

If the bride or groom could not write, their X was witnessed by the signature of the Registrar.

From 1922 onwards, the words ‘or divorced’ are added to the marital status and the birthplace of an individual was restored from 1972 onwards.