1215 The Year of Magna Carta is an interesting look into English life at that time. The Magna Carta was the English Liberties granted by King John in 1215 signed in Runnymede near Windsor Castle. For those interested in English genealogy, it's a wealth of information. Marriage was once a secular affair but in 1200 an English church council decreed that a marriage was required to be announced in church 3 times (Banns) before being consecrated (Canon Law). This often shows up when searching for ancestor documents showing the date of the Banns rather than the actual marriage ceremony. The ceremony only needed to be vows said to each other and not necessarily in a church or with witnesses. Prohibited marriages were those under 12 years of age and/or related within 7 degrees - sharing great-great-great-great grandparents. This caused a problem especially within small villages or hamlets and was later changed to limit the number of degrees.
After 1753 Parliament decided against The Lover's Charter and declared all marriages were to be performed by a clergyman and that no one under the age of 21 could be married without the consent of parents or guardians. The young often ignored the Marriage Act and eloped across the English/Scottish border to Gretna Green where the old law remained in force.
