Marriage Licence Records

Nature of Source

Records generated from couples who chose to pay for a licence to marry rather than by banns. Bonds (up to 1823) and allegations form part of the licence. The actual licence was held by the applicant.

Marriage by licence was usually associated with wealthier people (but not necessarily so) who wanted to avoid marriage by banns which involved a church announcement of the intention to marry on three successive Sundays. Instead, the bridegroom had to swear a declaration that no impediment existed for the marriage to take place. Until Hardwicke’s Marriage Act of 1754 a licence was also required for those seeking to marry in a parish where neither resided. Following the Act it was stipulated that a marriage by license must take in a parish where either party had resided for at least four weeks.

The licence was issued by the Archdeaconry Court if both parties were from the same archdeaconry. If they were from different archdeaconries but the same diocese, then the diocesan Consistory Court issued the licence. If they came from different dioceses but the same province (either the Province of Canterbury or the Province of York) then that court issued the licence. The Vicar-General’s Office covered the Province of Canterbury. The highest court was the Faculty Office which issued marriage licences for couples living in different Provinces.

Few licences have survived but the allegations and bonds remain in numbers. The allegation certified that there was no impediment to a marriage taking place together with details of the church or churches where the marriage could take place. The bond (until 1823) was signed by the bridegroom and a friend or relative who agreed to pay the bishop a sum of money if the marriage was found to be contrary to Canon Law. The bondsman was often fictitious or a local man willing to act as the official for a fee. The existence of a licence does not necessarily mean that the marriage took place or in the named church. Registers were often kept of all the licences issued.

Sir Arthur Crisp a renowned antiquarian and genealogist compiled a collection of marriage licences from the mid-17th century to the early 19th century mainly granted by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London. He bound them into six volumes and compiled an index and abstracts to the licenses. Unfortunately the whereabouts of many volumes remain unknown and may not have survived. Surviving volumes are held by the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies and the Society of Genealogists who also hold published indexes. The indexes are also online at Ancestry.

From 1754 under the Hardwicke marriage reforms everyone had to marry in a Church of England church  apart from Jews and Quakers so many Catholics and other nonconformists chose to marry by licence before and after the marriage reforms of 1754.

See also
Church/Ecclesiastical Court Records
Fleet & other Irregular Marriage Registers
Marriage Duty Act/Registration Tax
Parish Registers-Marriages

Where Found

The National Archives

Guildhall Library (Diocese of London including a name index to licences from St. Katharine by the Tower)

County Record Offices (Find the details of a local UK archive from a searchable list of over 2,500 archives hosted by The National Archives)

London Metropolitan Archives (The LMA holds a collection of licences from a number licence-issuing authorities. See the Research Guide for more details)

Westminster Archives (The archives holdings include a number of printed and published marriage allegations but no original allegations and bonds. They hold Crisp’s volumes for St George-in-the-East, 1796-1850, St Paul Herne Hill, 1852-1879 and St George Hanover Square, 1867-1973 as well as an index to the above registers, 1796-1879)

Society of Genealogists (Library collection of published indexes including the Crisp Index)

Borthwick Institute

Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies (Crisp’s Marriage Licence Index, 1713-1892. The index is a collection of London marriage licences which can provide additional details to the more usual banns register, or information from the parish register itself)

Lambeth Palace Library (The Library’s marriage records relate virtually exclusively to marriages conducted by licence issued under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Vicar General and Faculty Office. See the ‘Marriage Records’ guide for detailed information)

Harleian Society (Established in 1869 the society is involved in transcribing, printing and publishing of heraldic visitations of counties, parish registers or any manuscripts relating to genealogy, family history and heraldry including published indexes of marriage licence records)

British Records Society (Published indexes)

Period Covered

1520 – Onwards

Genealogical Value

• Names, ages, status and parish addresses of bride and groom and whether the groom was a bachelor or widower and whether the bride was a spinster or widow.
• Occupation of groom.
• Name of bondsman, address and occupation of bondsmen.
• Name of church where ceremony to take place.
• Occasionally the names of the parents of the bride and groom.

Further References

• Frith, Brian (ed). Gloucestershire Marriage Allegations, 1637-1680: With Surrogate Allegations to 1694: Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, 1954
• Frith, Brian (ed). Marriage Allegations in the Diocese of Gloucester, vol II 1681-1700: Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, 1970
• Gibson, Jeremy. Bishops’ Transcripts and Marriage Licences, Bonds and Allegations: A Guide to their Location and Indexes (6th ed): The Family History Partnership, 2013 (Preview available from Google Books, 4th ed)
• Gibson, Jeremy; Hampson, Elizabeth; Raymond, Stuart. Marriage Indexes for Family Historians. 9th rev. ed: The Family History Partnership, 2007
• Probert, Rebecca. Marriage Law for Genealogists: The Definitive Guide: Takeaway Publishing: 2016
• Raymond, Stuart A. Tracing Your Church of England Ancestors: A Guide for Family and Local Historians: Pen & Sword Family History, 2017

Websites

www.sog.org.uk/vg/index.html (Guidance on using the Vicar-General Marriage Licence Index and background information on the index)
www.sog.org.uk/vg/vicgen1.htm (Vicar-General Marriage Licence Index: Essential background reading)
www.sog.org.uk/vg/faculty.htm (Faculty Office Marriage Licence Index)
https://search.lma.gov.uk/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/RESEARCH_GUIDES/web_detail_rg/SISN+35?SESSIONSEARCH (London Metropolitan Archives: Research Guide: Marriage Licences, Bonds and Allegations: LMA Research Guide 7: Marriage Licence Records)
www.findmypast.co.uk/content/sog/faculty-vicar-general (Guide to Faculty Office Marriage Licence Allegations 1701-1850 & Vicar-General Marriage Licence Allegations 1694-1850)
www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Marriage_Allegations,_Bonds_and_Licences_in_England_and_Wales (FamilySearch Research Wiki: Marriage Allegations, Bonds and Licences in England and Wales)
www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/marriageenquiries (Lambeth Palace Library Research Guide: Marriage Records. The Library has produced a guide to resources for information on marriage records held at the Library and elsewhere)
www.history.ac.uk/gh/marrlic.htm (Guildhall Library Guide to Records: Marriage Licence Records)

Online Databases

Findmypast
Faculty Office Marriage Licence Allegations, 1701-1850. Search 321,000 entries on the register. These are couples, particularly Londoners, who intended to get married. The indexes have been compiled by volunteers for The Society of Genealogists and the original records are stored in Lambeth Palace.
Findmypast
Vicar-General Marriage Licence Allegations. 1694-1850. Search marriage licences issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The indexes have been compiled by volunteers for The Society of Genealogists and the original records are stored in Lambeth Palace.
Findmypast
Britain, Marriage Licences, 1115-1906. Search licences obtained in Bedfordshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, London, Middlesex, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, Worcestershire, and Yorkshire. The volumes in this collection were provided by the College of Arms, Anguline Research Archives, and Gould Genealogy.
Findmypast

• Oxfordshire Marriage Bonds 1634-1849.
• Cheshire Marriage Licence Bonds and Allegations 1606-1905.
• Sarum Marriage Licence Bonds. The Sarum Diocese covered most of Wiltshire, most of Berkshire, parts of Dorset and a small area in Devon.
• Leicestershire Marriage Licences, 1604-1891.
• Cambridgeshire, Ely Diocese Marriage Licences 1684-1811.
• Nottinghamshire Registers & Records.
• Staffordshire, Dioceses Of Lichfield & Coventry Marriage Allegations and Bonds, 1636-1893.
• Norfolk Marriage Bonds, 1557-1915 Image Browse.
• Durham Diocese, Calendar Of Marriage Bonds & Allegations 1594-1815 Image Browse.

Ancestry

• Archdeaconry of Richmond, England, Church of England Marriage Bonds, 1611-1861.
• Somerset, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914
• Wiltshire Marriages, 1538-1837.
• Calendar of wills and administrations in the Consistory Court of the bishop of Worcester. The dataset includes marriage license allegations and bonds.
• London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921.
• Worcestershire, England, Marriage Licenses, 1661-1949.
• Warwickshire, Miscellaneous Parish Records including marriage licences.
• Norfolk, England, Indexes to Wills, Probate, Administrations and Marriage Licence Bonds, 1371-1858.
• Norfolk, England, Indexes to Wills, Probate, Administrations and Marriage Licence Bonds, 1371-1858.
• Lancashire, England, Church of England Marriage Bonds of the Archdeaconry of Richmond, 1611-1861.
• Somerset, England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1924.
• Norfolk, England, Marriage Bonds, 1557-1902.
• Durham Diocese, England, Marriage Bonds & Allegations, 1692-1900.
• Durham Diocese, England, Calendar of Marriage Bonds & Allegations, 1594-1815.
• England, Yorkshire, Allertonshire, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1667-1819.

FamilySearch

• Cheshire, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1606-1900
• Durham Diocese, Calendar of Marriage Bonds & Allegations, 1594-1815
• Durham Diocese, Marriage Bonds & Allegations, 1692-1900
• Norfolk Marriage Bonds, 1557-1915
• Yorkshire, Allertonshire, Marriage Bonds & Allegations, 1667-1819
• Lancashire, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1746-1799
• Lincolnshire, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1574-1885
• Surrey, Marriages Bonds and Licenses, 1536-1992
• Yorkshire, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1613-1887

The Genealogist
Parish Record Collection. The online collections include Family History Society transcripts and Phillimore transcripts of parish registers of baptisms, marriages with licenses and banns and burials.

The Genealogist

• London & National Marriage Licences at the Faculty Office, 1543–1869.
• Durham Marriage Bonds, 1664–1674.
• Lancaster Marriage Bonds, 1734–1738.
• Leicestershire Marriage Licences, 1570–1729.
• Somerset Bishops of Bath and Wells Marriage Allegation Bonds, 1670-1755.
• Surrey Marriage Licences, 1673–1770.
• Sussex Marriage Licences, Deaneries of Chichester, Pagham and Terring, 1582–1730.

HathiTrust
Marriage bonds for the deaneries of Lonsdale, Kendal, Furness and Copeland, part of the archdeaconry of Richmond.
University of Nottingham
Manuscripts and Special Collections: Marriage bonds and allegations. Search bonds and allegations for licences granted by the Archdeaconry Court of Nottingham from 1594 to 1884.
Cornwall OPC Database
Search Marriage Allegations. The Cornwall OPC Database is a free, volunteer-run genealogy resource that transcribes and indexes historical parish records from Cornwall. It covers baptisms, marriages, burials and various other records.
Durham University Library
Family and Local History Records: Marriage Licence Bonds and Allegations,1592-20th century. The collection includes a series of marriage licence allegations and bonds, sometimes filed with transcripts of the parish register baptism entries of the bride and groom as proof of age and copies of the licence itself.
Worcestershire Archives
Explore the Past: Marriage Licenses, 1853-1916
Whipple One-Name Study
Oxford Archdeacon’s Marriage Bonds. Search transcribed indexes of the Oxford Diocese Marriage Bonds and Affidavits (1661-1850), including: a version sorted by groom and a version sorted by bride.

London
Findmypast
London Marriage Licences 1521-1869. Compiled by Colonel Joseph Chester and edited by Joseph Foster, the publication is an index of licenses found at the following offices: The Bishop of London’s Office, Dean and Chapter of Westminster’s Office, Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Vicar-General’s Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Ancestry

• London, Crisp’s Marriage Licence Index, 1713-1892. Search abstracts of marriage licenses and many original licenses from major London parishes. The original data is held at the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies.
• London, England, Marriage Licences, 1521-1869. This database contains abstracts of marriage licences granted in the Dioceses of London, Westminster and Canterbury. Specifically the records come from the following offices and cover the following years: Bishop of London’s Office (1521-1828); Dean and Chapter of Westminster’s Office (1599-1699); Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury (1543-1869); Vicar General’s Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury (1660-1679).
• London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921. This database contains marriage allegations and bonds created by individuals applying for marriage licenses in parishes in the Diocese of Winchester, Surrey and the Diocese of London.
• A calendar of the marriage licence allegations in the Registry of the Bishop of London, 1597-1700. Search a digitised edition of a calendar of the marriage licence allegations in the Registry of the Bishop of London, published by the British Record Society.

Ireland
Ancestry
Ireland, Indexes to Wills, Probate Administration, Marriage Bonds and Licences, 1591-1866. This collection includes indexes to wills, probate administration as well as marriage bonds and licences relating to individuals in Ireland.
Ancestry
Cork, Ireland, Marriage Licence Bonds Index, 1623-1750. This collection comprises an index to the Marriage Licence Bonds of the diocese of Cork and Ross, Ireland.
Findmypast
Betham Prerogative Marriage Licences Abstracts, 1629-1810. Search Sir William Betham’s marriage licence abstracts. Prerogative marriage licences would have been granted exclusively by the Church of Ireland ecclesiastical courts until 1857.
FamilySearch
Ireland, Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage License Bonds Indexes, 1623-1866. Microfilm of original records at the Dublin Public Record Office. Although these licenses were issued by the established Church of Ireland, they were issued to Catholics as well as Protestants who chose to be married by license. Most of the actual licenses were destroyed in the 1922 fire at the Public Record Office; only the indexes survived.

Wales
National Library of Wales
Index of applicants for Welsh marriage licences, 1616-1837. These records were used to obtain a marriage licence without publishing banns on three successive Sundays, and they can include names, dates, locations, ages, and the groom’s profession.
FamilySearch
Wales, Marriage Bonds, 1650-1900. This collection contains marriage bonds from several different churches in each county in Wales from 1650 to 1900. The original records are kept at the National Library of Wales.

CD Roms

Internet Archive (Search the Archive for Harleian Society publications relating to allegations for marriage licences issued by a number of authorities and available to read online or download)
Anguline Research Archives (Pavers Marriage Licences, Lancashire Marriage Bonds 1648-1710)
East Surrey Family History Society (Southwark Marriage Licences)
Flatcapsandbonnets.com (Scanned historical and genealogical county book collections on DVD including parish registers, marriage allegations/licenses, directories, paupers in workhouses in 1861, lists of emigrants from England to the USA and Caribbean 1773-76, visitations, poll books. See web site for county coverage and source material)
www.westcountrybooks.com (Marriage Allegation Bonds of The Bishops of Bath And Wells from their Commencement to the Year 1755)