Marriages - by Banns or by License
source GENUKI genealogy site
Until 1929, the minimum ages people could marry were 12 for girls and 14 for boys. In 1929 both ages were raised to 16. The consent of parents was required for those under age 21.
Apart from Jews and Quakers, most people had to get married in the parish church.
Parishioners were usually married by Banns, which meant that details of the proposed marriage were announced from the pulpit (of both the groom AND bride's parish churches) for 3 consecutive Sundays prior to the marriage.
At the same time a challenge was issued in the usual way: "If any man knows reason why these two should not be joined etc.....".
The delay and public aspect of Banns could be avoided by the purchase of a Marriage License (usually from the Archdeaconry Court).
Marriage by License meant that the couple could be married without Banns being called, thus saving time in many instances:
Before 1754 in England, when Lord Hardwicke's Act came into force [which stated a marriage was only legally valid if the banns had been called or a marriage license had been obtained], it was possible for eloping couples to be married clandestinely by an ordained clergyman, a favourite location was the Fleet Prison, a debtors' prison in London, in which clergymen willing to celebrate irregular marriages might be found.
Irregular Marriages might be those with impediments including but not limited to:
Image Credit - The Day is Dawning by Edmund Blair Leighton
Until 1929, the minimum ages people could marry were 12 for girls and 14 for boys. In 1929 both ages were raised to 16. The consent of parents was required for those under age 21.
Apart from Jews and Quakers, most people had to get married in the parish church.
Parishioners were usually married by Banns, which meant that details of the proposed marriage were announced from the pulpit (of both the groom AND bride's parish churches) for 3 consecutive Sundays prior to the marriage.
At the same time a challenge was issued in the usual way: "If any man knows reason why these two should not be joined etc.....".
The delay and public aspect of Banns could be avoided by the purchase of a Marriage License (usually from the Archdeaconry Court).
Marriage by License meant that the couple could be married without Banns being called, thus saving time in many instances:
- Perhaps the groom was leaving the district (member of the navy, or other reason), and they wanted to be married before he left
- Perhaps the lady was pregnant
- It might be one of the local 'gentlemen' who worked 'up-country' and only had a short time in the parish
- Maybe it was because they could afford to pay for a license.
Before 1754 in England, when Lord Hardwicke's Act came into force [which stated a marriage was only legally valid if the banns had been called or a marriage license had been obtained], it was possible for eloping couples to be married clandestinely by an ordained clergyman, a favourite location was the Fleet Prison, a debtors' prison in London, in which clergymen willing to celebrate irregular marriages might be found.
Irregular Marriages might be those with impediments including but not limited to:
- a pre-existing marriage that has been neither dissolved nor annulled
- lack of consent
- the couple's being related within the prohibited degrees of kinship
- a vow of celibacy
Image Credit - The Day is Dawning by Edmund Blair Leighton