England, Cheshire, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1606-1900

What is in This Collection?

This collection contains an index of marriage bonds and allegations from the county of Cheshire for the years 1606-1900. The original records are held at the Cheshire Archives.

Marriage allegations and bonds were sworn statements filed by a bride and groom as part of a marriage license application. The allegation stated that there was no known reason that the marriage should not take place; bonds contractually obligated the signers to pay a sum of money if the allegation was incorrect. Until 1733, marriage bonds were written partly in Latin but the wording was standardized. Furthermore, the printed forms that were in use by the 1690s also help in deciphering the records.

Jurisdictions

For a list of the parishes which historically made up this county with links to more information about each of them, see the Cheshire Parishes page.

Until 1847, the Diocese of Chester covered large portions of Lancashire and Yorkshire, so some parishes from these two counties may be present in this collection. It could be helpful to use the Historical Jurisdictions Map to locate pre-1851 parish boundaries.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:
Marriage Bonds and Allegations

• Names of bride and groom
• Date and place of marriage
• Whether the individuals were single or widowed
• Parents’ name
• Gender
• Age

Collection Content

Sample Records

Field	Record
Name	John Smith
Event Type	Intended marriage
Event Date	30 Aug 1872
Event Place	Cheshire, England
Gender	Male
Age	21
Spouse's Name	Jane Shepherd Yee
Spouse's Age	19
Spouse's Father's Name	Thomas Tee