Old Marriage Reports

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 15, 9 April 1903, Page 18

Old Marriage Reports

An old almanac is supposed to represent the acme of uselessness. But our contemporary, the San Francisco ' Monitor,' has proved, in the course of an interestingi article, that even old almanacs sometimes repay perusal and that there is probably nothing that is really good for nothing. Our American contemporary has burrowed out of an old almanac a mass of advertisements and marriages notices that appeared in a Cork newspaper over one hundred years ago. Among these are some that give a fresh illustration to some of the quaint wedding notices that we culled some time ago from the faded pages of an English society magazine of the seventeenth century. In both the fortune of the bride was duly set forth as one of her principal charms. Here is one under date September 12, 1770 :— ' Yesterday (September 12th, 1770), H M , junior, Esq., to Miss R C , daughter of F C , Esq., a most amiable lady, whose smallest accomplishment is £2000 fortune ' Another runs as follows :—: — ' October 30th, 1770. Last week was married at Rathcoony Church, the Rev. J C , rector of Skull, to Miss E H , eldest daughter of Doctor W H ,of Lower Abbey street, Dublin, a young lady possessed of a truly amiable disposition, sweetness of temper, gentleness of manners, delicacy of sentiment, and every valuable accomplishment requisite to make the marriage state completely happy, with a fortune of £2000.' Our readers have only to look at the entries under 'Wedding Bells' in our columns to realise how the fashion in marriage reports has changed since the days when Prince Charlie was still a braw chiel and powdered wigs were de rigeur.

His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne has made the following clerical changes and appointments in the archdiocese : — The Rev. M. J. Norris, of St. Mary's, West Melbourne, has been transferred to St. Mary's, St. Kilda East ; the Rev. T. O'Suliivan, from Geelong to Dalesford ; the Rev. H. Ilartnett, from Dalesford to Geelong ; the Rev. C. Vaughan, from St. Mary's, Kyneton, to St. Joseph's, Collingwood ; the Rev. J. Shiel from St. Mary's, Collingwood to SS. Peter and Paul's, South Melbourne : the Rev. P. Rafforty, from SS. Peter and Paul's, South Melbourne,, to St. Mary's Kyneton; the Rev. H. O'Callaghan, chaplain of the Little Sisters of the Poor, Northcote, to Oakleigh ; and the Rev. J. McCarter to succeed the Rev. H. O'Callaghan. Tho Church of St. Michael's, at North Melbourne, hitherto attended from. St. Mary's, West Melbourne, has been tormed into a separate parish, and the Rev. J. Norris, of St. Kilda East, has been appointed to the charge. Father Norris was attached to St. Mary's, West Melbourne, for some time, where he was very popular. Subsequently, the rev. gentleman was transferred to St. Mary's, Geelong. He paid an extended visit to Europe, and, on returning, was attached to St. Mary's, St." Kilda East.