Consistory Court, Marriage Bonds

Contains marriage bonds relating to the issuing of marriage licences.

Marriage licences from 1604 were issued only by the ecclesiastical authorities which had jurisdiction over the parish where the marriage was to take place. Licences enabled couples to marry without publication or calling of banns in church.

Canons 101 to 103 of 1604 required that licences could only be issued 'upon good caution and security taken'. Therefore anyone applying for a licence was required to enter into a bond with sureties. A bond is a written guarantee that a person will faithfully perform the tasks assigned to him or her by the church court. The bond was often entered by the bridegroom as one of the sureties or his bondsmen, and is in two parts:

a) The declaration (in Latin until 1731) by the bondsmen that there is no impediment and that it will meet the requirements of the Church of England, giving the bondsmen's names and occupations and sum in which they were bound

b) condition giving the names of the parties and the place of the intended marriage

Bonds ceased after 1823 but the marriage parties' declaration or allegation continued to be required and were filed in the registry.

These records are arranged in chronological order.

<p>See DCb/MB Marriage Bonds and Allegations for the missing gaps in this series and for Bonds (1694 - 1816) (formerly referenced DCb/PRC/24/33-46) which were transferred to DCb/M/B in 1993.</p>

Bonds 1683 - 1688 (DCb/PRC/24/25-32) are available on microfiche.