The marital mobility of the spouses in thirteen parishes of county Durham established by the marriage registers up to 1812 and by the baptismal registers of 1798-1812: marital mobility in thirteen parishes of county Durham

Abstract

The marriage registers of 13 parishes in County Durham are considered in an attempt to establish rates of endogamy, exogamy and a spatial context of mobility. The 13 parishes fall into three broad geographic areas: four parishes are situated in the Pennine uplands, five lie in the centre of the county and four abutt the coast. The study commences with the earliest suitable marriage register available for each parish and concludes at the end of 1812. In addition in 11 of the parishes the marriage registers of 1795-1812 is annotated with the parish of nativity disclosed in the subsequent baptismal registers of 1798-1812 to enable comparisons to be drawn (in respect of endogamy, exogamy and mobility patterns) with the results obtained in the study from the marriage registers generally and specifically with the marriage register of 1795-1812. Similar comparisons are also made between the three groups of parishes.