Marriages outside of C of E
Posted by Leanne S on July 01, 1998 at 22:47:49:
In response to This is a bit before Regency, but potentially of interest, written by Leanne S on July 01, 1998 at 18:39:38
] ] Can anyone help me with the legal status of marriages outside the Church of England in the Regency period?
] ] What did Catholics and Dissenters do to get married, and how were their marriages registered?
] ] I know that nowadays in England, a C of E minister is automatically a registrar of marriages, while ministers of other churches are not, and have to become registrars separately (one of the things that the Establishment of the C of E means.)
] ] Before Hardwicke's Marriage Act of 1753, there was a fair amount of chaos and uncertainty about whether or not someone was legally married: a betrothal which was consummated was automatically a marriage, without any need to go to church.
] ] But what about the middle - the Regency period? Anyone know?
] ] Cheers
] ] Linden.
]
This is from Dee Hendrikson's excellent Regency Reference Book:
"Marriages of the Royal Family, Scots, Quakers and Jews (both parties) were exempt [from the Register/License thing], as were marriages solumnized "beyond the seas"."
It's not much, but I knew I read it somewhere :)
In her bibliography she lists as "marriage" references which may be worth checking out of the library -- or perhaps someone here has them/ or has read them:
Macfarlane, Alan, "Marriage and Love in England, 1300-1840", Blacwell, 1986
Perkin, Joan, "Women and Marriage in Nineteenth-Century England", Lyceum, 1989
Hope this helps in some way ....
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