There are many marriage records and most for English marriages in the early 1800s are those where banns were read aloud in church for three weeks in a row, announcing a couple’s intention to marry. There were however alternatives, which weren’t as common and meant the marriage could take place more quickly. One was purchasing a licence.

My 4x great-grandparents George Hawkins and Caroline Beard were married by licence in Bath Abbey in May 1815. The licence record includes a sworn statement there was no barrier to the marriage, and a commitment by George in the form of a bond which meant he would forfeit 200 pounds if the marriage didn’t proceed. That’s a lot of money!

The record is particularly helpful because it gives information I might not have found otherwise.

It says that at the time of their marriage, George was in his mid-twenties and a private in the Woolwich Division of the Marines serving on H.M.S. Havannah. I’ve not discovered whether he returned to the Havannah or not, but in August the same year the ship was part of a convoy accompanying the H.M.S. Northumberland, which was transporting Napoleon to the island of St Helena.

George’s wife-to-be, Caroline, was recorded as a minor, which meant she needed permission to marry. That was given by her mother Elizabeth. Caroline and George did marry and had seven children. The births of the first five were recorded in Woolwich from 1817-1824, which suggests George remained in the marines until the mid 1820s. The Hawkins family then returned to live in Bath which is where their last two children were born in 1827 and 1830.

Although George and Caroline’s marriage licence gave me previously unknown information, it also sent me down a research rabbit hole. I hope to eventually untangle the identities of Caroline’s parents, and to discover who George’s parents were.

Selected references

Marriage bond and allegation of George Hawkins, 8 May 1815, Somerset, England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914.

Marriage of George Hawkins and Caroline Beard, 9 May 1815, Somerset, England, Marriage Registers, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914.

‘Marriage Allegations, bonds and Licences in England and Wales’, FamilySearch Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Marriage_Allegations,_Bonds_and_Licences_in_England_and_Wales, accessed 2 June 2025.

‘Marriage licence bonds’, Norfolk Record Office, https://www.archives.norfolk.gov.uk/article/31122/Marriage-licence-bonds, accessed 2 June 2025.

‘Reading of banns’, The Church of England, https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding/planning-your-ceremony/reading-banns, accessed 2 June 2025.

‘Banns, Common Licenses, and Special Licenses: Permission to Marry in Jane Austen’s England’, Jane Austen’s World, https://janeaustensworld.com/2021/08/23/banns-common-licenses-and-special-licenses-permission-to-marry-in-jane-austens-england/, accessed 2 June 2025.

‘Banns, licences and Hardwicke’s Marriage Act – a Regency History guide to marriage in Georgian England’, Regency History, https://www.regencyhistory.net/blog/marriage-licences-banns-regency-history-guide, accessed 2 June 2025.