Find your ancestors in Lincolnshire Marriage Licence Bonds and Allegations

What can these records tell me?

There are over 88,000 transcripts in this record set. While the amount of information varies, each transcript usually includes the following:

• First name(s)
• Last name
• Marriage year
• Place
• Groom’s first name(s)
• Groom’s last name
• Groom’s age
• Groom’s marital condition
• Groom’s parish
• Bride’s first name(s)
• Bride’s last name
• Bride’s age
• Bride’s marital condition
• Bride’s parish
• Diocese
• Notes

You may notice that on the transcripts there are sometimes several different locations given for place. This is because a marriage licence would allow for a couple to marry in one, two, three, or more churches.

Discover more about Marriage Licence Bonds and Allegations

As was the custom, most couples were married by banns, which were announcements made in church on three consecutive Sundays prior to the wedding date. The announcements were made to allow the congregation an opportunity to voice an objection to the marriage.

However, a marriage licence could be obtained for a fee if a couple wished to waive the customary reading of the banns. There are several reasons why a couple might want to do so, such as the need to expedite the wedding date or if the couple was Nonconformist or Roman Catholic and did not attend the parish church.

Along with a marriage licence fee, the couples were required to submit a bond and allegation, or sworn statement, asserting that there were no lawful impediments to the marriage. In addition, the allegation would provide information relating to the residence, occupation, marital status, and age of the applicant. The pledged bond, usually between £40 and £200, would be forfeited if it were discovered that the bride and groom were descended from the same ancestor.

Copyright

These records were sourced from Lincolnshire Family History Society.