Before civil registration began in 1837, a couple could marry either by banns — announced publicly in church over three Sundays — or by licence, which allowed a quiet, private marriage without the wait. To obtain a licence, one party made a sworn statement called an allegation, naming both parties, their parishes, and their status. These allegations were recorded by the issuing court.
The volumes in this collection were transcribed and published by the Harleian Society and other Victorian and Edwardian genealogical scholars. Editors include J. L. Chester, G. J. Armytage, W. J. C. Moens, Alfred Richard Bax, and W. Bruce Bannerman, all specialists in English church records. Each volume indexes the original allegations alphabetically, making searching straightforward.
This collection covers courts issuing licences across most of southern and eastern England: the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury (covering the whole country), the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, the Bishop of London, the Vicar-General of Canterbury, the Bishop of Winchester (Hampshire), the Commissary Court of Surrey, the Archdeaconry of Sudbury (Suffolk), and Leicestershire. If your ancestor married by licence and lived anywhere in this broad area between 1520 and 1869, these volumes may name them.
An allegation was a sworn statement made by one of the parties before a marriage licence was issued. It gave the full names of both parties, their home parishes, their ages and marital status, and confirmation that there was no known impediment to the marriage.
These records pre-date civil registration by centuries and name individuals in ways that no other record of the period does. They can confirm a marriage date, identify a bride's maiden name, place both parties in specific parishes, and establish whether either had been married before.
Because licences were typically used by those who had a reason to avoid banns — differences in social class, a need for discretion, or simply impatience — the people in these records often don't appear in the published marriage registers that genealogists search first.
If you've hit a brick wall where an ancestor married before 1837 and isn't in the parish register, a licence allegation may be why. This collection covers the most important southern English courts.
Ancestors who emigrated to Australia, America, Canada, or New Zealand often came from exactly the London, Hampshire, Surrey, and Suffolk areas covered here.
The Faculty Office series alone covers the whole of England and Wales. Having all 14 volumes in searchable PDF on a single USB saves considerable library time.
Marriage allegations record the social networks of English parishes in fine detail. Occupations, witnesses, and bondsmen all appear, giving a picture of community life.
Many of these volumes are Harleian Society publications. Original printed copies are expensive and scarce. This USB provides the complete text at a fraction of the cost.
Primary source material on early modern English marriage practice, ecclesiastical court jurisdiction, and the demographics of the licence system across three centuries.
| # | Volume Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty Office — Archbishop of Canterbury | ||
| 1 | Allegations — Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, 1543–1869 | 1543–1869 |
| Dean and Chapter of Westminster | ||
| 2 | Allegations — Dean and Chapter of Westminster, 1558–1699 | 1558–1699 |
| Bishop of London | ||
| 3 | Allegations — Bishop of London, Vol. I | 1520–1610 |
| 4 | Allegations — Bishop of London, Vol. II | 1611–1828 |
| Vicar-General of Canterbury | ||
| 5 | Allegations — Vicar-General of Canterbury, Vol. XXX | Jul 1679–Jun 1687 |
| 6 | Allegations — Vicar-General of Canterbury, Vol. XXXI | Jul 1687–Jun 1694 |
| 7 | Allegations — Vicar-General of Canterbury, Vol. XXXIII | 1660–1668 |
| 8 | Allegations — Vicar-General of Canterbury, Vol. XXXIV | 1669–1679 |
| Bishop of Winchester — Hampshire | ||
| 9 | Hampshire Allegations — Bishop of Winchester, Vol. I | 1689–1837 |
| 10 | Hampshire Allegations — Bishop of Winchester, Vol. II | 1689–1837 |
| Commissary Court of Surrey | ||
| 11 | Allegations — Commissary Court of Surrey | 1673–1770 |
| Archdeaconry of Sudbury — Suffolk | ||
| 12 | Allegations — Archdeaconry of Sudbury, Part I | 1684–1754 |
| 13 | Allegations — Archdeaconry of Sudbury, Part II | 1755–1781 |
| Leicestershire | ||
| 14 | Leicestershire Marriage Licences | 1570–1729 |
| Total — 14 Volumes · 7 Ecclesiastical Courts | 1520 to 1869 | |
1520 to 1869 · Canterbury, London, Winchester, Surrey, Suffolk, Leicestershire
PDF Format · Mac and Windows · Essential Pre-1837 Genealogy Research