England, Norfolk, Marriage Bonds, 1557-1915

What is in This Collection?

This collection contains marriage bonds covering the period 1557-1915. They are primarily from the county of Norfolk, but with a few records from certain parishes in the counties of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

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 and is easier to decipher in the printed forms that were in use by the 1690s.

Due to both tradition and a fee associated with obtaining a marriage license, most English couples were married by banns, not by license, and so would have neither a marriage allegation nor its related bond. However, families able to pay the fee would often avoid the reading of public banns and obtain a license, since many families did not like the thought of public objection to the intended marriage. Before the 1830s, nonconformists were required to marry officially in the Church of England, so most applied for licenses, rather than having their marriage announced by banns. Other possible reasons for obtaining marriage licenses are explained in Marriage Allegations, Bonds and Licences in England and Wales.

Although most bonds and allegations have survived, some are in poor condition and difficult to read, especially when the microfilmed images are badly focused. Licenses themselves were not normally retained for long after being handed to the officiating minister, but a few survive with parish records and a series from the Norwich Consistory Court (1903-1988) is described in Norfolk Record Office Information Leaflet 48: Marriage License Bonds.

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

To Browse This Collection

What Can These Records Tell Me?

Marriage Records contain:

• Date of document
• Name of the future groom
• Age and marital status of the future groom
• Residence of the future groom
• Name of the future bride
• Age and marital status of the future bride
• Residence of the future bride
• May include names of parents or guardians of minors

Collection Content

This collection contains bonds and other documents for those married by license in the counties of Norfolk and . The marriage license allegations and bonds in this collection are in broadly chronological order under four ecclesiastical courts:

• Norwich Consistory Court 1557-1902
  
• Norfolk Archdeaconry Court 1670-1886 (no images online before 1715)
• Norwich Archdeaconry Court 1660-1915 (no images online after 1854)
• Dean and Chapter of Norwich Peculiar Court 1725-1847

Sample Images

• England Marriage Allegation Examples
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  1828 Marriage Allegation Example 1

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  1795 Marriage Allegation Example 2