Hi
I am on the trail of Samuel Hodnett who was witness at the marriage of Ann Heatley to Edward Healing in 1868 in Liverpool. Searching for his own marriage I thought he may have married a Elizabeth Diggory in 1872 so I ordered a Marriage Certificate from GRO in the hope of comparing signatures from him being a witness to him being a groom to make sure I was on the right track. However his own Marriage Certificate only has "his mark" and so do all the other would be signatories.

Looking at all the "his/her marks" the "x" all look very similar, which makes me think that the same person made the x.

After the long lead up, my question is: is it common for Chaplins/or Marriage Celebrants to have signed or completed (i.e. their marks) on the Marriage Certificates on behalf of the bride/groom/witnesses

Thanks and with Kind Regards