Marriage Act 1753
E950724
Marriage Act 1753 was a landmark British law that standardized and restricted the formalities of marriage in England and Wales, helping to curb clandestine and irregular unions.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Act of Parliament of Great Britain
ⓘ
marriage law ⓘ |
| aimedAtProblem | Fleet marriages and other irregular urban marriage practices ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appliesToJurisdiction |
England
ⓘ
Wales ⓘ |
| country | Kingdom of Great Britain ⓘ |
| effect |
encouraged some couples to marry in Scotland to evade its requirements
ⓘ
made marriage a more regulated civil status ⓘ reduced the number of Fleet marriages in London ⓘ restricted the legal recognition of informal and clandestine marriages ⓘ strengthened the authority of the Church of England over marriage ⓘ |
| exemption |
did not fully apply to Jews
ⓘ
did not fully apply to Quakers ⓘ |
| historicalContext | Georgian era NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance | first comprehensive statutory regulation of marriage in England and Wales ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
concerns about property and inheritance security
ⓘ
concerns about secret and coerced marriages ⓘ |
| introducedBy | Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| legacy |
formed the basis of later English marriage legislation
ⓘ
marked a shift toward state control over marriage formalities ⓘ |
| legalRequirement |
marriage in the parish of residence or with appropriate licence
ⓘ
recording of marriages in a bound register signed by parties and witnesses ⓘ |
| mainProvision |
invalidated most marriages not performed according to its formalities
ⓘ
required marriages to be conducted by an Anglican clergyman in most cases ⓘ required marriages to be preceded by publication of banns or a licence ⓘ required marriages to be solemnized in a parish church or chapel of the Church of England ⓘ required parental consent for the marriage of minors ⓘ required registration of marriages in a formal parish register ⓘ |
| monarchAtEnactment | George II of Great Britain NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notApplicableInJurisdiction |
Ireland
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Scotland NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| purpose |
to curb clandestine marriages
ⓘ
to reduce irregular and secret unions ⓘ to standardize the formalities of marriage in England and Wales ⓘ |
| regulatedAspect |
age and consent requirements for marriage
ⓘ
formal validity of marriage ⓘ place and form of marriage ceremony ⓘ |
| regulatedInstitution | marriage ⓘ |
| repealedBy | Marriage Act 1823 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| royalAssent | 1753 ⓘ |
| shortTitle | Marriage Act 1753 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
civil status
ⓘ
family law ⓘ religion and law ⓘ |
| typeOfChange | codification of marriage formalities ⓘ |
| yearOfAct | 1753 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Gretna Green