Every time I look at the marriage record I found last issue for my 5x greatgrandparents, Nathan and Agnes Walkden, I grin from ear to ear. I think 1763 has to be the earliest ‘proper’ marriage register record I’ve come across for any of my ancestors. This far back, any others I’ve found have been either the most basic of transcripts or just a line in a ledger – a bride’s name, a groom’s name and, if you’re very lucky, a town or village.