A bill aimed at ending the 'historic injustice' of excluding mothers' names from marriage certificates has passed its first parliamentary stage.
The Private Members' Bill was brought by the Bishop of St Albans, Dr Alan Smith and received its second reading in the House of Lords.
Smith said the origin of the practice of naming only the father on a marriage certificate was 'archaic and unchanged since Victorian times, where children were seen as fathers' property, and little consideration was given to mothers' roles in raising children'.
He said: 'As we approach the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, it is only right that we consider how existing legislation excludes or does not recognise the contributions made by women. This bill allows for this important and symbolic change to be made.
'It's important to note that this Bill would allow mothers' names to be included when registering all marriages, not just those that take place in Church of England churches.'
He said there was popular support for the change and that many were shocked to discover mothers were excluded from the certificates.
The bill also includes modernising the procedure for recording marriages, moving from a paper to a digital system. The bishop stressed that, 'The bill does not propose any changes to marriage ceremonies, or the Church of England's doctrine of marriage. These are all far greater questions, which fall beyond the scope of this bill.'
The bill now proceeds towards its committee stage in the House of Lords.
An identical bill, introduced in the House of Commons by Dame Caroline Spelman, the second church estates commissioner, will have its own second reading there next month.
