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Subject: [RHEA-L] Index to Raphoe Marriage License Bonds- County Donegal
Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2000 23:33:03 EST

The Diocese of Raphoe, in the Ecclesiastical Province of Armagh, covers
almost the whole of Co. Donegal, and consisted of thirty four parishes. This
index - which only covers forty five years of the 18th century and thirteen
years of the 19th century - is the list of marriage license bonds from this
Diocese which were held at the Public Record Office before 1922. The original
bonds were destroyed in a fire of that year and now all that survives is the
Index.The Index gives the name of the intended bride and bridegroom, and the
year of the bond. Up to 1754 the year began on 25th March, and thus entries
which give a date such as 1731-2 indicate that the bond was dated between 1st
January and 24th March of what we would now call 1732 but which was then
called 1731.The bonds refer to marriages to be celebrated in the Established
Church (which by law preformed "mixed" marriages after 1746) but do not cover
either Catholic or Presbyterian weddings unless these were, for some reason,
preformed in the Anglican Church. Prior to about 1870 it was customary for
all persons of moderate substance and upwards to be married by licence, and
banns were used only by those of very slender means. Civil registration of
non-Catholic marriages began in 1845, and previous to this before the Bishop
would issue a licence he required the bridegroom and another surety (usually
a representative of the bride) to enter into a bond in a specified sum,
varying according to the Bishop's assessment of the risks involved. The bond
was for the purpose of indemnifying the Bishop, should any legal or canonical
impediment to the purposed union later appear and he be sued for wrongful
issue of a licence. In a case where the parties came from two different
Dioceses, the bond was taken out in the bride's Diocese as the licence was
directed to a specific parish where the marriage was to be preformed, usually
the parish where the bride resided.Lastly it should be stressed that this
Index is not a complete list of marriages by licence in the Diocese for the
two periods covered: it is merely the list of the bonds received by the
Public Record Office from that Diocese. ROSEMARY FFOLLIOTT


REAGH Patrick & Jane Ralston 1738
***
WRAY Andrew & Margaret Hamond 1736
WRAY Hanna & William Hamand 1736
WRAY John & Jane Hume 1828
WRAY John & Nancy Kelly (otherwise Pinkerto1826

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