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

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1606 to 1900.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Record Content
Marriage allegation records may contain the following information:


 * Names of bride and groom
 * Ages of bride and groom
 * Bride and groom’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 Record
When searching the index it would be helpful to know the following:


 * The name of the bride or groom
 * The approximate year of marriage and place
 * If an index is not available, it would be helpful if you knew the jurisdiction where the allegation

Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to marriages make it possible to access a specific marriage record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

Search the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
Some on-line indexes, such as indexes to FamilySearch Historical Records, will take you directly to an image. Compare the information in the marriage record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s marriage record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example:


 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Earlier records may not contain as much information.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one marriage record to another record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search for the marriage record of the marriage partner if known.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby parishes.

Related Websites

 * Marriage licenses, bonds and allegations for the Consistory Court of the Archdeaconry of Chester, 1606-1905 - entry from the FHLC
 * United Kingdom - England: Societies and Resources

Related Wiki Articles

 * Cheshire
 * England
 * England Civil Registration
 * Quick Research Links - England

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A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation for This Collection
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Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.