Love, Scandal and Secret Weddings
Imagine wanting to marry the person you love, but facing opposition from your family, struggling to afford a wedding or simply wanting to get married without the usual formalities. In eighteenth-century London, there was a place where couples could do just that: the notorious Fleet Prison and its surrounding streets.
Fleet marriages offer a fascinating glimpse into the lives of our ancestors, revealing how people navigated love, family expectations and the law. They can also provide valuable clues for genealogists investigating a marriage that does not appear in the expected parish register.
What were Fleet marriages?
Fleet marriages were clandestine weddings performed by clergymen associated with London’s Fleet Prison. Although the prison itself was intended for debtors and other prisoners, its surroundings developed a thriving trade in unofficial and often hurried marriage ceremonies.
During the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, couples could find clergymen willing to marry them for a fee, often without the formalities normally associated with a Church of England wedding. Ceremonies took place not only within the prison precinct but also in nearby houses and taverns.
The attraction was obvious. A couple could marry quickly, sometimes secretly, without the expense or delay of a more conventional ceremony.
Why did couples marry at the Fleet?
It is easy to imagine every Fleet marriage as a romantic elopement, with a young couple escaping disapproving parents. While this undoubtedly happened, the reasons for choosing the Fleet were much more varied.
Some couples wanted to avoid family interference, particularly where a marriage might affect inheritance, social standing or financial arrangements. Others simply wanted a quick, inexpensive wedding.
Pregnancy may also have prompted couples to marry in haste, while servants, sailors, soldiers and travellers might have found the convenience of a Fleet marriage appealing.
For family historians, however, it is important not to jump to conclusions. A Fleet marriage does not automatically mean that a couple eloped or that their families disapproved. The register provides a starting point for further research, rather than the complete story.
Were Fleet marriages legal?
Before 1754, marriage law in England allowed greater flexibility than it did afterwards. A marriage conducted by a clergyman could be legally valid even if it took place outside a conventional parish church or without the usual formalities.
The situation changed with the Marriage Act 1753, which came into effect on 25 March 1754. The Act introduced stricter requirements for most marriages in England and Wales, including rules concerning banns or licences and authorised places of worship. It also imposed parental consent requirements in certain circumstances involving minors.
These changes effectively brought the traditional Fleet marriage trade to an end.
The date of a marriage is therefore important when interpreting the evidence. A clandestine marriage before 1754 must be considered in a different legal context from a ceremony taking place after the legislation came into force.
Finding Fleet marriages in family history
Fleet marriage records can be particularly useful when a couple’s marriage cannot be found in the parish where they lived or where their children were baptised.
The surviving registers may record names, dates, occupations, residences and, in some cases, witnesses or other useful details. The amount of information varies, and the surviving records do not represent every marriage performed at the Fleet.
A good starting point is The National Archives’ RG 7 record series, which contains registers and related records of clandestine marriages. Digitised records may also be available through genealogy websites.
Once you find a possible entry, compare it with other evidence. Do the names and occupations match? Does the date fit with the baptisms of the couple’s children? Can you find the individuals in wills, parish registers or other contemporary records?
These additional sources may help establish whether you have identified the correct couple and reveal why they might have married at the Fleet.
A glimpse into our ancestors’ lives
Fleet marriages remind us that our ancestors did not always follow the paths we might expect. Their decisions were shaped by family relationships, financial circumstances, social expectations and the law.
An entry in a marriage register may contain only a few lines, but it can open up a much wider investigation. By combining it with other historical records, we may discover far more about the people involved and the circumstances in which they lived.
For genealogists, that is the real value of Fleet marriages: they offer not just a date and a name, but an opportunity to uncover another piece of our ancestors’ stories.
Further reading: The National Archives’ catalogue and guidance on clandestine marriages; R. B. Outhwaite, Clandestine Marriage in England, 1500–1850 (1995).
