| Content Description | The Court of the Archdeaconry of Nottingham issued ordinary licences for marriages of people residing within its jurisdiction. Most marriages could only take place if banns were 'published' in the parish church on three consecutive weeks, or if a couple had a licence granted by the appropriate ecclesiastical authority. Most couples were married after the calling of banns. The Archdeaconry archive therefore does not include records relating to the great majority of Nottinghamshire marriages.
Marriage bonds and allegations are, in effect, 'application forms' for persons wishing to be married by licence. Prior to 1823, the application for a licence was in two parts - the bond and the allegation. After 1823, the bond was no longer required and the application consisted only of the allegation.
Bonds and allegations give the names and parishes of the bride and groom, and the people being bound on their behalf to ensure that the marriage took place according to the terms of the licence. They often provide supplementary information to the brief entries in the parish registers; for example giving ages, occupations, and parentage of minors (i.e. those under 21 years of age).
In 1884, responsibility for licencing marriages was taken over by the new Diocese of Southwell.
Arrangement
Until 1752, the Julian Calendar operated in England and the year began on 25th March. In 1752 the Gregorian Calendar (used in Europe since 1582) was adopted and the year began on 1st January. The yearly bundles of marriage bonds up to 1752 therefore, begin with 25th March and end with 24th March.
Sixteenth and early seventeenth century bonds and allegations are written in Latin. |
| Publication Note | Various abstracts have been made of marriage bonds and licences held at the University of Nottingham and elsewhere. The reference numbers in brackets below refer to copies of printed works held in the East Midlands Collection at the University of Nottingham.
1577-1700
T.M. Blagg and F.A. Wadsworth (eds), Abstracts of Nottinghamshire Marriage Licences vol. I, The British Record Society, 1930. (Not 1.M27 BLA)
1701-1753
T.M. Blagg and F.A. Wadsworth (eds), Abstracts of Nottinghamshire Marriage Licences vol. II, The British Record Society, 1935. (Not 1.M27 BLA)
n.b. These two volumes also include abstracts and indexes for Peculiar of Southwell bonds, 1588-1853.
1754-1780
T.M. Blagg (ed.) 'Abstracts of the Bonds and Allegations for Marriage Licences in the Archdeaconry Court of Nottingham.' Thoroton Society Record Series vol. X, Parts I and II 1946-1947. (Periodicals: Not)
n.b. Part I contains a summary list covering 1754-1780, then a detailed list for 1754-Aug 1765. Part II covers September 1765-1770.
1771-1790
These Marriage Bonds have been indexed by Manuscripts and Special Collections. Details have been extracted of persons (brides, grooms and bondsmen), places, marital status, age, occupation and roles. Access to this index data is available through the Names index of the Manuscripts Online Catalogue. It is expected that the high level of indexing will give adequate access to the original evidence for many of those interested in the material and will thus limit the need for researchers to consult the original documents at Nottingham. Please refer to the web site or contact staff for further information.
1791-1800
Nottinghamshire Marriage Bonds 1791-1800, Nottingham University Library Manuscripts Department, 1987. (Oversize Not 1.M15 NOT)
1801-1884
These Marriage Bonds have been indexed by Manuscripts and Special Collections. Details have been extracted of persons (brides, grooms and bondsmen), places, marital status, age, occupation and roles. Access to this index data is available through the Names index of the Manuscripts Online Catalogue. It is expected that the high level of indexing will give adequate access to the original evidence for many of those interested in the material and will thus limit the need for researchers to consult the original documents at Nottingham. Please refer to the web site or contact staff for further information.
After 1810
W.P.W. Phillimore et al. (eds) Nottinghamshire Parish Registers vols. 1-22, 1898-1938. (Not 1.MI5 PHI)
W.P.W. Phillimore and J. Ward (eds) Nottingham Parish Registers (St. Mary's, St. Nicholas and St. Peter's), 1900. (Not 3.M36 SMA)
n.b. These two volumes are arranged by place (there is an index available to assist in finding the relevant volume) and list all marriages - by banns and licence. They are useful for checking if a post 1810 marriage was by licence. Most of the earlier publications finish in 1812 but the later publications continue until 1837, the year in which civil registration of marriages was introduced. |