Marriage Licence

[1JC]

The attached is a 1 September 1712 marriage licence between Thomas Pating/Paling and Elizabeth Chester.

I am struggling to figure out who the witness? is mentioned. What I have decyphered is "Thomas Paling Nether Broughton in county Leicester, carpenter & _______ Chester, Thurmaston in county _______, Stockingmaker".

Can anyone help with filling in the two gaps indicated?

Also, who would the people be that are mentioned in this part of the marriage licence, e.g. witnesses, parents, etc.

[goldie61]

It 'Guiliel" Chester, with a long contraction line above it. Undoubtedly a Latininsed from of 'William'.
If you look at the bottom of the page, you'll see 'Willm" Chester makes his mark.

The other word is 'p^redict(o)' - meaning 'before mentioned', so he is of the same County as Thomas Paling - Leicestershire.

Thomas Paling, along with William Chester, are bondsmen. If anything untoward happens, they will stump up the bond.

It's a good chance the William Chester is a relative of Elizabeth. Perhaps her brother? Could be her father. He may be still alive if she is only 18 as the licence suggests.
Is there another page? You often get 2 pages with these applications for a licence.

[1JC]

Thanks very much Goldie61.
There was not a second page, unfortunately. The previous and subsequent pages were for different marriages.

I just need to find out who the William Chester was. Elizabeth's father is Benjamin and I have not found a birth record for a brother William

[horselydown86]

There was not a second page, unfortunately. The previous and subsequent pages were for different marriages.

Just to clarify the terminology, this document is a Marriage Bond.  It is the second of two preparatory documents which lead to the issue of a Marriage Licence.

The first preparatory document is a Marriage Allegation.  These are normally not kept together with the Bonds.  I would expect the "previous and subsequent" documents are on the same pro-forma as this Bond?

Because Elizabeth is a minor, the Allegation should identify the person who gave permission for her to marry.

I don't know where you came by this Bond, but it should be worth your time to keep searching for the matching Allegation (if it survives).

Note that few Licences themselves survive; and if they do they won't have the extra information which should be found on the Allegation.

[goldie61]

Just to say I have found many allegations and bonds 'kept together' HD.
Perhaps it depended on how they were held by the particular office where they were housed and filed.