Caricature of a Fleet Street Marriage

A Fleet Marriage is the best-known example of an irregular or a clandestine marriage taking place in England before the Marriage Act 1753 came into force on March 25th, 1754. Specifically, it was one which took place in London's Fleet Prison during the 17th and, especially, the early 18th century. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 541 pixelsFull resolution (1578 × 1068 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 541 pixelsFull resolution (1578 × 1068 pixel, file size: 1. ... “Spouse” redirects here. ... For other marriage-related legislation, see Marriage Act In England and Wales, the Marriage Act 1753, also called Lord Hardwickes Marriage Act, required a formal ceremony of marriage, therefore abolishing common-law marriage. ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Pray remember ye poor debtors: inmates of the Fleet Prison beg passers by for alms. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Irregular marriages

Under English law a marriage was recognized as valid if each spouse had simply expressed (to each other) an unconditional consent to their marriage. No particular words were necessary; no clergyman or registrar need be present; no witnesses were required. Most people married in church, however, since the church desired it, and the family and friends expected it. Vows could be exchanged by a boy as young as 14 and a girl as young as 12; the church expected parental consent for those under the age of 21. English law is a formal term of art that describes the law for the time being in force in England and Wales. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... Registrar may refer to: In education, a registrar or registry is an official in an academic institution (a college, university, or secondary school) who handles student records. ...

An "irregular marriage" was one taking place away from the home parish of the spouses (but after banns or licence); or taking place at an improper time. "Clandestine" marriages were those where an element of secrecy applied: perhaps where they took place away from a home parish, and without either banns or marriage licence. The secrecy might be for many reasons: no parental consent; or where bigamy was involved are two. The facts that fees were involved meant that many clergymen were willing to conduct such marriage ceremonies. The banns of marriage or, simply the banns, (from an Old English word meaning to summon) are the public announcement from the pulpit that a marriage is going to take place in that church between two specified persons at a specified time. ... Napa, California: USA A new bride humorously observes the legal signing of her marriage license by her maid of honor. ... Polygamy, literally many marriages in ancient Greek, is a marital practice in which a person has more than one spouse simultaneously (as opposed to monogamy where each person has a maximum of one spouse at any one time). ...

The number of such marriages was enormous, particularly in London, and certain churches were important centres of such “trade”. In the 1740s, over half of all London weddings were taking place in the environs of the Fleet Prison.

Even before that date some attempt had been made to curb irregular marriages. The Marriage Duty Acts of 1694 and 1695 required that banns or licences must be obtained, and imposed a penalty of £100 on any clergyman who celebrated a marriage without obtaining one or the other. This was largely ignored by many parishes, who were not put off by the fine, and particularly already imprisoned for debt. In such circumstances the Fleet Prison became important as a marriage centre. For other uses, see Debt (disambiguation). ...

Fleet Prison

The earliest recorded date of a Fleet Marriage is 1613 (although there were undoubtedly earlier ones), while the earliest recorded in a Fleet Register took place in 1674. As a prison, the Fleet was claimed to be outside the jurisdiction of the church. The prison warders took a share of the profit, even though a statute of 1711 imposed fines upon them for doing so: it only moved the clandestine marriage trade outside the prison. There were, in fact, so many debtors that many lived in the area outside the prison (itself a lawless area). Disgraced clergymen (and many who pretended to be clergymen) lived there, and marriage houses or taverns carried on the trade, encouraged by local tavern-keepers in the neighbourhood who employed touts to solicit custom for them. There were also many clerks who made money recording the ceremonies. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Tout is a semi-colloquial, mainly British term for a person who earns money by reselling tickets to popular events. ...

During the 1740s up to 6000 marriages a year were taking place in the Fleet area, compared with the 47 000 in England. One estimate suggests that there were between 70 and 100 clergymen working in the Fleet area between 1700 and 1753. It was not merely a marriage centre for the criminals and poor, however: both rich and poor availed themselves of the opportunity to marry in secret.

Marriage Act 1753

The scandal and abuses brought about by these clandestine marriages became so great that they became the object of special legislation. In 1753, Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act was passed, which required, under pain of nullity, that banns should be published or a licence obtained; that, in either case, the marriage should be solemnized in church; and that in the case of minors, marriage by licence must be by the consent of parent or guardian; and that at least two witnesses must be present. Jewish and Quaker ceremonies were exempt. Clergymen conducting clandestine marriages were liable to transportation. For other marriage-related legislation, see Marriage Act In England and Wales, the Marriage Act 1753, also called Lord Hardwickes Marriage Act, required a formal ceremony of marriage, therefore abolishing common-law marriage. ... Judaism considers marriage to be the ideal state of existence; a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, are considered incomplete. ... Quaker weddings are the traditional ceremony of marriage within the Religious Society of Friends. ...

This act had the effect of putting a stop to these marriages, so far as England was concerned, and henceforth couples had to fare to Scotland (Gretna Green had substantial use until 1856, when English law declared such marriages invalid) or to the Channel Islands where the 1753 Act did not apply. Gretna Green is a small village on the west coast in the south of Scotland. ... This article is about the British dependencies. ...

References

• The London Encyclopaedia, Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert, Macmillan, 1995, ISBN 0-333-57688-8