England, Cheshire, Marriage Bonds and Allegations - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
Allegations were created from the early 14th century to the present.

Collection History
A marriage allegation is a sworn statement filed by the marriage participants in support of their license application. It is a statement that there is no reason that the marriage should not take place. Marriage licenses could be granted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, bishops, and archdeacons or their surrogates within their respective jurisdictions. The original allegations and bonds were held by the various Church officials. Most were later transferred to county record offices. Many records are now published by the respective diocese.

Why This Collection Was Created
The marriage licensing process created three types of documents. One of these documents is the marriage allegation. The majority of English people were married by banns, not license, so they would not be party to a marriage allegation.

Collection Reliability
The information in a marriage allegation was provided by the marriage partners. The information is reliable.

Collection Description
Most of the original marriage allegations have now been compiled and bound in volumes. Most of the original marriage allegations have been preserved. While many are in the custody of the diocese, others may be found in the records of the Vicar General and the faculty office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Still others may be found in the county records office.

Collection Content
A marriage allegation lists: • Couple’s names • Couple’s ages • Couple’s occupations • Whether the individuals were single or widowed • Parish of residence • Where the marriage was to take place (sometimes included) • Parents’ name or signature (sometimes included) • If either of the marriage partners was a minor, the allegation would name the parent or guardian who was consenting to the marriage.

How to Use the Collection
For people whose ancestors married by license, the allegation could be a valuable research tool in defining family relationships and residences as well as listing personal information, such as age and occupation. You must know the name of a marriage partner. If an index is not available, you must know the jurisdiction where the allegation was filed and an approximate marriage date.

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