Ah, the ringing of wedding bells. It's a lovely, romantic sound. It always conjures in my mind true love and happily ever after.
The hope of a bright future awaiting the couple probably isn't much different now than it was centuries past. But the way people married has evolved over the years.
In Regency England, a
couple could get married one of three ways: they could marry in a church after
the reading of the banns, they could obtain a common license, or they could
marry by special license. They could also elope and go to Scotland, but that’s
a topic for different post.
A couple wishing to be
wed in the traditional way had to have their ministers of their local parishes to read what was called "the banns" meaning he read their names for
three Sundays in row, and also posted their names at each church for those
three weeks. This was to provide anyone who knew of a good reason why they shouldn’t
marry to declare it. Usually the reason someone objected was if one of them
were already married, as was the case in the book Jane Eyre. If no one objected,
then the couple could marry within the next three months. Marriages also had to
take place between 8 a.m. and noon in one of their churches.
For those who wished
to waive the reading of the banns, either because they wanted to marry sooner,
or they wanted to marry in a church other than one of their home parishes, they
could purchase a common marriage license. Some also probably did it as a status
symbol as a way that they could afford the ten shillings that it cost to get a
license. In order to marry by license, the couple had to get one from the
archbishops of Canterbury and York and had to swear that there was no reason
why they couldn’t marry. To obtain a marriage license, the couple—or usually just the bridegroom—had to swear that there was no reason why they could not marry. Marriages by common license required the couple to marry in a
church or consecrated building.
A Special License was
the third option. They were more difficult to obtain and they were also costly—to
the tune of four to five pounds. They were also only issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury,and only to those of high rank. A
special license gave the couple the option to marry any time or place they desired. Although
they were encouraged to marry in churches, the marriage could be performed
anywhere such as a home or garden. Few people were eligible to marry by special
license. Only peers and their children, baronets, knights, members of
Parliament, Privy Councillors and Westminster Court Judges had this option.
Since the father of Amesbury
family in my Rogue Hearts Series is the Earl of Tarrington, all the sons had
the option to marry by Special License at the family county seat, and, out of
tradition, all of them did.
Sources
Posts
1 comment:
Any bishop or his archdeacon or anyone designated by the bishop as well as the two archbishops could issue a standard or common license to marry. Such a license had a seven day waiting period and had to name the parish in which the wedding would take place, These were quite popualr among ordinary people who didn't want their names bruited around the parish . Some used the license to have a wedding without some of the tricks neighbors liked to engage in at such events.
The license was good for 3 months.
In Pride and Prejudice Mrs, Bennet is determined that Elizabeth might marry by special license
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