Records of marriages have been officially kept since 1538 when Henry VIII’s Vicar General Thomas Cromwell, ordered the clergy to record details of all marriages, births and burials. In Elizabeth 1’s reign it was decreed that the records should be kept in bound books on vellum, and these became known as parish registers. Parish registers are the main source of marriage records before 1837 when General Registration was introduced.
Marriage records prior to 1754 were a simple recording of the couple’s names and the date the marriage took place. The examples below are taken from the parish of Aldborough in Yorkshire:
Richard Hewick & Catherine his wife were married 15 May 1546
Edward Smythson & Ursula Scruton 19 May 1604
In the first example only the wife’s first name is mentioned and though a date is given in both examples, no other information, such as occupation, witnesses etc., is recorded.
Hardwicke's Marriage Act
Hardwicke’s Marriage Act of 1753 came into force from 25 March 1754 and required weddings could only take place with either a valid marriage license or after banns were read at least three weeks in advance of the marriage in the parish of each party. All marriages had to be carried out in a parish church by an Anglican Minister and before at least two witnesses. If either party was a minor (e.g. below the age of 21) then permission from a parent or guardian was required before the marriage could go ahead. The age at which boys could marry was 14 and girls 12 so long as permission was given, these ages were in use until 1929, though it was extremely unusual for anyone to be married at such a young age.
Printed registers for marriages were introduced and the following information collected:
- names of the two parties, including if they were bachelor/spinster or widow/widower
- whether married by banns or license
- the date of the marriage, who performed the ceremony,
- he signatures of the parties (or their marks if they were unable to read or write)
- the signatures/marks of two witnesses
Irregular/Clandestine marriages
One of the reasons for the introduction of Hardwicke’s act was to stop the number of irregular and clandestine marriages, so called because they took part away from the regular parish of the couple getting married. Clandestine marriages could include a man marrying an heiress without her father’s permission; an already married but separated person entering into a bigamous marriage; a couple within the prohibited decree (e.g. the church considered they were too closely related to be married).
Many clergymen were willing to carry out these types of marriage for a suitable fee and one of the most notorious places for these was the Fleet Prison in London, where some of the inmates were clergy willing to marry anyone who could pay their fee.
Non conformist marriages
Under Hardwicke’s marriage act, only marriages that took place in Anglican churches were deemed legal, with the exception of Quakers and Jews. They were allowed to be married in their own places of worship under their own rules and regulations. All other non conformist sects, including Catholics had to marry in an Anglican church. Especially in the Catholic faith, but in others as well, couples would attend two ceremonies, one in the church of their faith and one in an Anglican church to make the marriage legal.
It wasn’t until 1837 and the introduction of General Registration that marriages in other churches/chapels became legal again.
Over the Border to Gretna Green
Until 1949 in Scotland the only requirement for a marriage to take place was for both parties to declare their consent before witnesses for that marriage to be legal. It therefore became possible for anyone wanting to enter into marriage but not to go by the regular route to elope to Scotland and get married at the blacksmith’s there. However, from 1856, these marriages became illegal for English people unless they had lived in Scotland for three weeks or more, making the flight to the border a less popular way of getting married.
Post 1837
The Marriage Act of 1836 along with the Births and Deaths Registration Act of 1836 introduced registration of marriages, births and deaths from the 1 July 1837 and the country was divided into Registration Districts. After this date, any marriage taking place, in a church, chapel or registry office had to be notified to the registrar and a copy of the marriage certificate given to the couple; a copy was kept at the church (if the wedding took place there) and a further copy was forwarded to the registrar.
A post 1837 marriage certificate includes the date of the marriage and where it took place, the full names of the bride and groom their ages at the time of his marriage (early certificates record only whether they were of full age, e.g. over 21, or a minor), their occupations, where they were living at the time of the marriage, the names of their fathers and their fathers’ occupations. Both parties signed or made their marks, and the vicar/registrar and at least two witnesses also signed the register.
Where to find records
Up to 1837 the name of the parish where the marriage took place will need to be known so that the registers of the appropriate church can be searched. This is often the home parish of the bride, so if a place of birth is known for the bride from any census entry, this is the place to try first. Most parish registers have been deposited with the local archives or records office, where they can be searched either on microfiche/film or in the archive search room. Where registers have not yet been deposited, i.e. where the register is not yet filled up, these will be found still in the parish church and an appointment will need to be made with the vicar to view them, a small fee may be payable.
After 1 July 1837, the records are kept at the General Register office in Southport and a reference number will need to be found to send for the marriage certificate. The reference number can be found by consulting the GRO indexes which were produced every quarter in the registration district where the marriage took place. These indexes can be searched now on websites such as ancestry and findmypast as well as at local history libraries and many archives centres. Once the reference number is found, then an application to the GRO or the local register office along with a fee (currently £9.25) will obtain a copy of the register. Details of marriages that took place in church after 1837 can still be obtained from local archives so long as the parish is known.
Marriage records can confirm the parents of an ancestor or can lead further along one generation by the recording of father’s names after 1837. Details of a wife’s maiden name can be obtained, except in very early records, which enable research into that side of the family to be commenced.
Carol Kerry-Green - Carol Ann Kerry-Green is a freelance social and local history writer as well as a professional genealogist.
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