BTW may I ask Bumble, what is a marriage 'by license'?
Common/Ordinary Licence - This could be obtained from any bishop or archbishop, Chancellor or Surrogate, and meant the Banns need not be read - and so there was not the minimum delay of two weeks.
A visit to the clergyman issuing the licence resulted in three documents, an allegation or affidavit, a marriage bond and the licence. Bonds were a very common legal device. By entering into a bond a person would agree for instance that a statement was true, for a marriage that there was no "lawful let or impediment" to the proposed marriage. If this was not the case a penalty was due to the church official concerned, if the marriage did not take place the bond was irrelevant. A marriage bond would mention the two people who wanted to get married, not just one. By the late 18th Century the penalty was £200. I would expect that they would not have to prove they had the money. After 1823 bonds ceased to be necessary.
You can see examples of a Marriage Bond, Allegation, and Licence at
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,438148.msg3016813.html#msg3016813The actual wording varied over the years.
A Special Ecclesiastical Licence from the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, permitted a marriage to be solemnised at any time and at any place, consecrated or not. Prior to 1755 both the Vicar General and the Master of Faculties were able to grant Special Licences, but after 20 January 1755 only the latter issued them.
Stan