Hi, its not Dick the Lord Mayor from Pauntley is it ?.
Joking aside, have you searched the forum, there are many Whittington threads including this one.
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=24452

There are several more possibly related threads.

May not answer your question but could help your researches a lot?

ps having quickly searched this site's PRs looking at all Marriage Records on the site between Richard & Ann around 1857 sadly cannot find anything even close. !?

This is the only Record I can find but you've probably already seen it.

Record_ID: 106712
Entry_Number: 36
Year: 1859
Month: Jan
Day: 30
Parents_Surname: WITTINGTON
Child_Forenames: Richard
Fathers_Forenames: Richard
Mothers_Forenames: Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Lydbrook
Occupation: Collier
Officiating_Minister: Wm Wall
Event: Baptism
Memoranda: Born Nov 12 1857
Notes:
Register_Reference: D2598 3/3
Page_Number: 5
Parish_Chapel: West Dean Methodist
Soundex: W352

"Strip and at it" was a colliery. Searching that within the forum gives this prior thread, again re Whittington and by the same poster as the one above, ie Lesleyr.

http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=24942

Lesley's a regular site visitor as shown by the blue username, this is a hyperlink, click it and you'll see this note
"Researching the family of Eliza Whittington, my great great grandmother. She was born in the Forest of Dean about 1835. She married George Stichome but was widowed after a year. Eliza and her family then moved north to Nottinghamshire where she married my great, great grandfather Jess Draper."

May I suggest you send lesley a direct email via the hyperkink. This will ensure a prompt reply (in case he/she doesnt visit the forum in the next day or three), hopefully you'll get some assistance.

PPS looking at Glos BDM site(occasionally gives Records not on FoD site) gives the following Record, doubt it gives any more than your certificate but does confirm Ann to be a WHittington prior to marrying Richard.

Marriage Details
Number of entries matching criteria entered: 1

Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
WHITTINGTON Richard WHITTINGTON Ann Forest of Dean Westbury-on-Severn (FoD) Register Office 1857 2 62

This site carries other relevant records for Richard Whittingtons, eg

Birth Details
Number of entries matching criteria entered: 1

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
WHITTINGTON Richard WHITTINGTON WHITTINGTON HORROM 1851 Forest of Dean Westbury on Severn, Newnham 12 41

Searching Ann, her POSSIBLE birth records are;
Birth Details
Number of entries matching criteria entered: 1

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
WHITTINGTON Mary Anne WHITTINGTON WHITTINGTON GEORGE 1838 Forest of Dean Monmouth, Coleford 1 75

Birth Details
Number of entries matching criteria entered: 1

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
WHITTINGTON Anne WHITTINGTON WHITTINGTON MORGAN 1842 Forest of Dean Monmouth, Coleford 2 341

http://ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk/bmd/SimpleSearch.aspx

Searching these on this site's FoD PRs, as may give more detail:

Record_ID: 44585
Entry_Number: 1067
Year: 1838
Month: Jun
Day: 24
Parents_Surname: WHITTINGTON
Child_Forenames: Mary Ann
Fathers_Forenames: James
Mothers_Forenames: Mary Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Highmeadow
Occupation: Labourer
Officiating_Minister: G Ridout Vicar
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P227 IN 1/6
Page_Number: 134
Parish_Chapel: Newland
Soundex: W352

There is also a Birth Record for Anne b1842, however there is also a corresponding Burial Record for the same year, possibly the same person.

IMPORTANT !
When searching the FoD PRs, tick the soundex box to find all spellings of Whittington, and only search "Ann" so as to get all variations that start with this, ie Ann, Anne, Annie, Mary Ann, etc etc. As you say our ancestors were FAR from original when it came to first names, completely normal to repeat over and over.

PPPS !
It may be irrelevant given these very popular name swithin our area, but checking FreeBMD, as well as confirming the bare bones of the above, also gives an additional Burial Record for a Mary Anne, albeit in the neighbouring Gloster district so nearer Pauntley etc where many Whittingtons were from. It doesnt give an age which may suggest an infant death, possibly the same child ?.

Births Sep 1838 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHITTINGTON Mary Anne Monmouth 26 57

then lists

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deaths Sep 1838 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whittington Mary Ann Gloster 11 21[8_]

http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

1851
Ann Wihittington abt 1836 Ruardean, Gloucestershire, England Servant Hope Mansell, Herefordshire

1861
Richard Whittington abt 1826 Lydnock, Gloucestershire, England Head West Dean, Gloucestershire
Ann Whittington abt 1836 Ruardean, Gloucestershire, England Wife West Dean, Gloucestershire
Richard Whittington abt 1857 Ross, Herefordshire, England Son West Dean, Gloucestershire
Amelie Jane Whittington n abt 1859 Lydnock, Gloucestershire, England Daughter West Dean, Gloucestershire
Julia Ann Whittington abt 1860 Lydnock, Gloucestershire, England Daughter West Dean, Gloucestershire

sure you have later census data

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

The parents of Richard Whittington 1829 were Thomas Whittington 1794/1863 & Anne Brown 1794/1875 married 5 Jun 1824, 5 children. Thomas Whittington was killed in the Strip & At it Mine Jan 1863. I doubt very much that Richard was born in the mine !!

The parents of Thomas Whittington 1794 were Thomas Whittington 1754/1835 & Eleanor Lawrence 1754/1838 married 30 Nov 1790 6 children. Parents of Thomas Whittington 1754 were James Whittington & Elizabeth Jones married 23 Nov 1728 6 children.

Richard Whittington & Ann are not related to me, but I have connections with the offspring of each of their ancestors.

I didn't know that Richard Whittington & Ann were married 19 Jul 1857. From the certificate you have obtained can you tell me where were they married and what is Ann's surname ? I have Ann's surname as Whittington, but there appeared to be some doubt about that.

I have some detailed information regarding Thomas Whittington 1794 & Anne Brown 1794. Unfortunately I didn't record who gave me the information so I will not publish it here, but will send it to you by email. Please respect that information.

Jim Ashton

Hello
I have been researching the Whittingtons for a while but can't help you much with Richard and Ann. Here's what I have in my notes on Richard, although I expect you've got most, if not all, already:

Richard was born in Monmouthshire about 1830, but his age recorded at various points throughout his life varies considerably.
I have not found a baptism record for him.
At the 1841 census Richard was about 15, living with his family in Lydbrook.
At the 1851 census his age was given as 22 (birth year 1829). He was working as a collier and living with his parents in East Dean.
He married Ann Whittington on 19 July 1857 at the Register Office in Westbury on Severn. He was 25 (birth year 1832) and a collier, the son of Thomas Whittington (labourer) living. She was 27 (birth year 1830) but the name of her father was blank.
At the 1861 census Richard 35 (birth year 1826 - collier born Lydbrook) was living in West Dean with Ann 25 (born Ruardean) and children Richard 4 (born Ross, Herefordshire) and Amelia Jane 2 and Julia Ann 6 months, both born in Lydbrook.
Their daughter Julia was buried in Lydbrook on 7 February 1864 aged 3 years.
At the 1871 census Richard 44 (Collier, birth year 1825) was living in West Dean with Ann 33 (birth year 1838) and children Richard 14 (collier), Amelia 12, Thomas William 8, James Henry 4 and John Frederick E 2.
At the 1881 census Richard 51 (Coalminer, birth year 1830) was living in Upper Lydbrook with Ann 44 (birth year 1837) and children Thomas 18 and James 13 (coal miners), Edward 13 (also known as John Frederick) and Hubert 8.
Richard was buried in Lydbrook on 11 January 1891 aged 65 (birth year 1826).

I don't have anything on Ann before her marriage. As you say, the marriage certificate has a blank where her father's name should be. Looks like she would have been the illegitimate daughter of a female Whittington.
Good luck with your research.
Lesley