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Wendi
Upstart Joined: 12 May 2010 Posts: 7	Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:19 am    Post subject: Special License   I have done many searches on this board and I thank you all for the wonderful information! Since the subject of special licenses was not covered in the way I needed, I'd like to share the information I was able to find. There is so much conflicting information on the web about special licenses that I decided I had to look into it personally. I had contacted the Archbishop's office directly and was referred to the Church of England's archives at Lambeth Palace Library. Here is the result of their efforts: Quote: Thank you for your enquiry, which was passed to us by the Church of England Record Centre. Melanie Barber’s article ‘Records of Marriage and Divorce in Lambeth Palace Library’, published in Genealogists’ Magazine (volume 20, December 1980), contains a clear summary of the nature of Archbishop’s Licenses. On special licenses she writes that in 1759 Archbishop Secker (possibly in response to a steep increase in applications for these licenses between 1747 and 1757) drew up a set of rules which governed the issue of special licenses. These rules specified that ‘special licenses to marry at any convenient time and place may be granted to peers and peeresses in their own right of Great Britain and Ireland, to their sons and daughters, to dowager peeresses, to privy councilors, to judges of his Majesty’s Court at Westminster Hall, to Baronets and Knights and to Members of the House of Commons.’ Couples outside of these exclusive circles could qualify for a special license only if they provided ‘very strong and weighty reasons’ for needing such permission. They would often be expected to marry in within the canonical hours of 8am to 12am. From 1759, not surprisingly, there was a reported drop in the number of special licenses granted by the Faculty Office. In all cases the couple would have to prove their case to the satisfaction of the Archbishop. Special licenses were considered ‘special acts of grace and favor’ and even members of the aristocracy could be refused by the Archbishop. This information is also reiterated in R.B. Outhwaite’s ‘Clandestine Marriage in England 1500-1850’ (1995) and R. Probert’s ‘Marriage Law and Practice in the Long Eighteenth Century- a reassessment’ (2009). I hope this answers your question but if you need more detail information you are welcome to view the above sources in our library. You would need to register for a reader’s ticket on your first visit by bringing two passport style photographs and proof of address. There are more details on our website: http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/content/access. Please note that we are closed from 13th-17th September [2010] for the Papal visit.
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NoirFemme
Upstart Joined: 11 Jun 2007 Posts: 25	Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 5:54 pm    Post subject:   I wrote about this and other English wedding customs on my history blog: Quote: By the late Edwardian era, afternoon weddings have become very popular, with 2:30 pm as the most fashionable time, despite the legally recognized time for marriage ceremonies being between eight am and noon. To counteract this legality, a special license was obtained (during most of the 19th century, only a few were in position to obtain them) from the Archbishop of Canterbury, after application at the Faculty Office, and a very special reason had to be given to meet with his approval. This license cost about £30 on average. Two other options for marriage in England were marriage by “banns” and marriage by license. The “banns,” from an Old English word meaning “to summon”, were the public announcement in church that a marriage was going to take place between two specified persons. They were required to be published in three consecutive weeks prior to the marriage in the parish in which the groom resided and also that in which the bride resided, and both bride and groom were advised to reside at least fifteen days in their respective parishes before the banns were announced. A marriage by license was a bit quicker, as either the bride or the groom was required to reside in their chosen parish for at least fifteen days prior to the application for the license, either in town or country. This £2 license was obtained at either the Faculty Office, the Vicar-General’s Office, the Doctor’s Commons, or at the chosen church where the bride and groom were to be married. On top of these fees, the officiating clergyman needed to be paid (usually according to the position and means of the groom), and the clerk who legalized the marriage required a tip. Interestingly, in Britain, all fees relating to marriage were paid by the groom, and most of the marriage details were left on his shoulders, including the purchase of the bride’s wedding ring and her bouquet, as well as the bouquets and trinkets for the bridesmaids! _________________ Edwardian Promenade // blog of all things Edwardian!
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Candice
Queen of the Board Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2731 Location: Minneapolis, MN	Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:47 pm    Post subject:   Thanks for sharing that info from the Lambeth Palace Library, Wendi. Great info. I think a lot of us who write stories set during the Regency use a great deal of literary license regarding the issue of special licenses. Our modern readers want to get the thing done quickly, so we often resort to the device of a special license. Even though we know it was not an easy thing to do, we like to pretend it was, and that it could be done fast. And we like to have some family member who is best friends with the Archbishop, just in case. _________________
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 4:00 pm    Post subject:   Is it Heyer's Friday's Child where everyone is agog that the hero's friend has an uncle who is a bishop? I'm pretty sure it is. I always loved that book. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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