Marriage license

[cheshiremog]

Would some one mind explaining

Could you explain what the difference actually is between marriage by bans and marriage by licence ?

Marriage by bans - bans read in church three times before wedding to see if there were any objections ?

By licence - is this special licence as bride & groom were underage ?

I have certificates showing by bans and by licence and don't really understand the difference.

[Little Nell]

Quick and very brief guide to licences:

Marriage by licence meant that the couple could marry without the need for banns being read three Sundays in a row.  It could happen a lot quicker.  It cost twice as much to have the banns read in two different parishes if the bride and groom lived in different parishes.  Many couples married by licence in order to save every Tom, Dick and Harry knowing their business.  It did not necessarily mean that they were under age.  Sometimes if there was a need for speed, marriage by licence was the route to choose.  Also if they wished to marry but were not living in their home parish, then the licence was the obvious choice.  It might also happen if the groom was in the military and was about to leave for the war or to go to sea.

Marriage by licence also had a certain status value, because it cost more than marriage by banns.

Nell

[cheshiremog]

Thanks for that Nell
Would you say that if you see a marriage by licence you may suspect that bride and groom were from different parishes ?
For the following image - I can find no record at all of  a Benjamin Trist born in Brixham Devon in  1811 (marr Brixham 1833) - The name Trist - seems very rare - and I wonder if he came from outside the parish - although on census he always says born Brixham?

[Little Nell]

Possibly, but not necessarily.  It may just mean that they did not wish to wait for the banns to be called.

The marriage entry will only indicate the place of residence at the time of marriage, not the place where the person may have been born.  It would mean that the person had lived in the parish long enough to satisfy the conditions of residence.

I would try to find the record of the licence which may have more detail on it e.g. how long Benjamin had lived in the parish is he had not been born there, it may give an idea of his age and his profession.  This should be held at the Devon Record office in Exeter.

By the way there is a large archive for the Trist family at the Devon Record Office and lots of hits for the name in other archives held there.

Nell

[cheshiremog]

Dear Little Nell
Thanks for that
And great news about the Trist archive
as I have drawn a blank with Benjamin
I will look for the licence next time I visit
What a great site this is
You learn something new every day
PS Can someone make the image I posted smaller ?
It was too big when I posted it

[Valda]

The 1841 census for Benjamin in Brixham merely indicates he was born in Devon - not born in Brixham. The Y/N born in or out of the county is not always completely reliable. Adult ages on the 1841 census, those over the age of 15, usually have their ages rounded down to the nearest 5 on the 1841 census. Thus Benjamin's age would be between 30 and 34 (with a possibility he could have been 35 after census night - so 30 -35 in 1841 if the census was accurate. His death certificate would give you an age to compare against.

Deaths Dec 1849 
TRIST  Benjamin    Totnes  9 354

Regards

Valda

[cheshiremog]

Thanks Valda
Yes I will get that certificate
The Trist name is very concentrated in Devon, then Cornwall,then Middlesex and thats about it - so its reasonably likely that he was a Devon man - but possibly not from Brixham.
Maybe if I can get that licence it may just help
Carol

[Valda]

By the C19th marriage allegations (the part retained by the Bishop, the licence was given to the person who required it who produced it at the church at the time of the marriage - very few licences survive) were less detailed and filled in usually onto a standard form where most of the wording was already printed. This is an example of an 1831 licence.

'APPEARED PERSONALLY WILLIAM ------------ OF THE PARISH OF CHRISTCHURCH IN THE COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX A BATCHELOR OF THE AGE OF TWENTY ONE YEARS AND UPWARDS AND PRAYED A LICENCE FOR THE SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY AT THE PARISH OF CHRISTCHURCH AFORESAID WITH SARAH --------- A SPINSTER OF THE AGE OF TWENTY ONE YEARS AND UPWARDS AND MADE OATH THAT HE BELIEVETH THAT THERE IS NO IMPEDIMENT OF KINDRED, OR ALLIANCE OR ANY OTHER LAWFUL CAUSE, NOR ANY SUIT COMMENCED IN ANY ECCLESIASTICAL COURT TO BAR OR HINDER THE PROCEEDING OF THE SAID MATRIMONY, ACCORDING TO THE TENOR OF SUCH LICENCE. AND HE FURTHER MADE OATH THAT HE THE APPEARER HAS HIS USUAL PLACE OF ABODE THE PARISH OF CHRISTCHURCH AFORESAID. WILLIAM -----------'

The parish would only be different if one of the parties was not residing there i.e. residency was only judged as the the 3 weeks needed for banns to be called. The age in the C19th would only be mentioned if either of the parties was under age and then an allegation could be informative since it would give an exact age and the name of the person giving permission for the person to marry and their relationship. The allegation also gave the status of the couple e.g. bachelor, widower. By the C19th the allegation was only really repeating what could already be found in the marriage register itself. C18th licences are more useful since they often give the exact age of the couple.

Regards

Valda