Can someone tell me it St Martins was known for carrying out irregular marriages in the late 18 and early 19 century? I have come across several family members being married there at this time. Although they were both not from that parish or even lived in Birmingham. On some of the marriage register entries there were quite a number been married on the same day 7 or 8 sometimes. Also of note the witnesses were not family members. I can only guess the couple did not seek consent from their parents and married anyway.
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St Martins in the Bull Ring
- Thread starter Mart1974
- Start date
brenda barr
master brummie
My G/T grandparents were married there on a Sunday in 1900, l guess it was because they had the sabbath day off work.
Were they perhaps Catholic? or "nonconformist"?- Until the Marriage Act of 1836, Catholic and nonconformist marriages were not considered "legal" in England. For a couple to be considered married they had to undergo a ceremony in an Anglican church, even if they had already had a wedding ceremony in a Catholic church or nonconformist Chapel. Only certain Anglican churches were prepared to to carry out such ceremonies and St Martins might have been one. The ceremonies would be very short and may have even been a bit of a "production line" with witnesses provided by the church itself.
en.wikipedia.org
Marriage Act 1836 - Wikipedia
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Irregular marriages were carried out in most cities during the 18th and 19th Century. The church always keen to prosper offered to marry couples for a fee without the usual trimmings and family involvement. No they were not Catholic or Nonconformists, but they were young. Reading Books they often refer to these irregular marriages where for a fee the minister would marry a couple without too many questions, ie Banns or Licences. Some of you will be aware of the Fleet marriages. Normally the couple would have had to reside in the area for a time period prior to marriage. Rent lodgings usually close to the church. Again not too many questions were asked as to how long they had been there. Such churches would carry out multiple marriages a day, more money for the church. Looking at the marriage register for St Martin's it appears there was a disproportionate number of marriages each day, even given the increased population. Also the witnesses were often link to the church as their names keep popping up. I just wonder if anyone else had come to the same conclusion St Martins was such a venue that couples seeking to marry outside of the family and away from prying eyes flocked to the St Martins to tie the knot.