Family tree help needed please

[Jules001]

I am trying to help a neighbour with a family tree problem. She has hit a brick wall and cannot progress any further until she can solve this problem. The name she is researching is a fairly common name (surname Wilson), the date of birth of the couple on the marriage certificate is just stated as 'of full age' so she is trying to track down the groom's father who has the same name, however she is trying to find the correct person through his occupation. This is where we are now stumped as we cannot make out the wording on the certificate. It looks like it could possibly be 'Gentleman' does anyone know if this was used to show a 'profession' around this time. The certificate is dated 1869. If not can anyone else suggest how we might find out how to decipher the certificate?

[dot.hawkes]

Yes Gentleman was certainly considered a status, (as opposed to occupation) and it also suggests that there will be far more sources to research than the basic civil registration, (which started in 1837) or census, (usually fairly complete from 1841 and every 10 years) like the various land tax and electoral rolls.
Of full age means 21 but was also used when ages were being purposefully hidden, e.g. if it was an elopement.

[Jules001]

Thanks Dot, I will pass on your info to her. Sorry I meant to say status rather than profession, I wasn't thinking and typed what I was looking at on the Certificate ;)

[dot.hawkes]

what would be a really useful soutce for the father, is the local business directories for the town he was from, assumong you know the place. these can be found in local reference libraries and all nobility and gentlemen living in each town are listed at the start of the town's description

[Jules001]

thank you IAP - any help is greatly appreciated :)

[Segilla]

I have several 19C mge certs where the word Gentleman is used. One of them describes a working cafe owner, cake shop and publican as such.

'Of full age' may well conceal true ages, but you can find plenty of parish registers where thes words appear repeatedly, page after page, indicating laziness,perhaps on the part of the person (parish clerk?) compiling the information for the cert.