London, England, Marriage Licences, 1521-1869

This database contains abstracts of marriage licences granted in the Dioceses of London, Westminster and Canterbury from 1521 to 1869. an abstract is not a complete transcription of the original record, but it almost always contains all the essential informtion within it. The records in the database are for licences granted in a particular diocese, but they include details of marriage licences granted to people all over the UK. In one instance a couple, one from Herefordshire the other from Gloucestershire, were issued with a licence in London to marry in a parish church in Monmouthshire, Wales.

Specifically the records come from the following offices and cover the following years:

• Bishop of London’s Office (1521-1828)


• Dean and Chapter of Westminster’s Office (1599-1699)


• Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury (1543-1869)


• Vicar General’s Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury (1660-1679)

Entries are arranged alphabetically according to the groom’s surname. The amount of information that may be listed for a couple will vary from record to record. However, the type of information you may see in regards to the bride and groom includes:

• Name


• Residence


• Age


• Father’s name


• Occupation of the groom and sometimes one or both fathers


• Date (of the lcence, not necessarily the date of marriage)


• Office

Abbreviations used: