Allegations for Marriage Licences Issued by the Vicar-General of the Archbishop of Canterbury 1669–1679
The word allegation, in this context, means a statement affirming or denying certain facts. It is not used here, in its primary meaning as an accusation.
From the above allegation we can tell that John Test and Elizabeth Sanders applied for a marriage license in October of 1673.
In 17th Century England, marriage was accomplished either by banns or by license. If by banns, then the intention to marry was announced at three consecutive Sunday services in the parish church or churches where the couple lived. Those who wanted to avoid either the publicity or the three-week wait could be married by license.
Since the license cost only a small amount of money it was common for yeoman, clerks, merchants and farmers as well as the upper classes to be married by license. If the bride and groom lived in the same diocese, the bishop of the diocese issued the license. But if they lived in different dioceses then the archbishop's office or rather his vicar-general's office issued the license.
The couple was given the license but a record of it, i.e., the allegation, was kept by the issuing authority. The allegation or statement by bride and groom includes the occupation of the groom, where the marriage will take place, the names of the parents and whether the groom is a bachelor or a widower and the bride a spinster or widow.
A Marriage License Allegation was a document sworn by one of the prospective parties, usually the groom, attesting there is no impediment to the marriage and indicating where the marriage would take place.
The couple would visit the office, step up to a clerk's desk or window and answer some basic questions. The clerk would record the answers in a book and write out a license that he handed to the couple. These marriage license allegations follow a fairly standard format.
Unfortunately the original allegations prior to the years 1694 have been lost. In the 1890s abstracts of the allegation books were made. That is the only sort of record of John Test and Elizabeth Sanders marriage allegations that we have today. The original would have included John Test's signature giving us an example of his handwriting.
