Category Archives: marriage licenses

Marrying During the Regency

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Regina Jeffers

For most of Western history, marriage was a private contract between two families. Until the 16th-century, Christian churches accepted the validity of a marriage on the basis of a couple’s declarations. If two people claimed that they had exchanged marital … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Gretna Green: The “Las Vegas” Marriage Destination of the Regency Period

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Scottish Elopements and the Marriage Act of 1753 “An Act for Better Preventing of Clandestine Marriage,” popularly known as Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act (1753), was the first statutory legislation in England and Wales to require a formal ceremony of marriage. … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Gretna Green, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, Pride and Prejudice, reading, real life tales, Regency romance, terminology, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Eloping During the Regency and What the Code Napoleon Said About It

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Almost every Regency era romance writer has written at least one scene where the hero and heroine elope, racing to Scotland and a place such as Gretna Green. Yet, when one sets the elopement could change the pair’s destination. What … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, historical fiction, history, marriage, marriage licenses, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Eloping During the Regency and What the Code Napoleon Said About It

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Handfasting as a Means to Marriage

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Although Sir Alexander Chandler and Miss Alana Pottinger do not come to their Happily Ever After in Lady Chandler’s Sister through handfasting, it is a subject of discussion. They met in Scotland, and handfasting was a more common practice there. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Opal Books, book release, British history, eBooks, George IV, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, romance, Scotland, suspense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Handfasting as a Means to Marriage

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Marriage by Proxy, Possible or Myth?

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

When the Hardwick Act for the Prevention of Clandestine Marriages went into effect in March of 1754, the rules for marrying in England changed dramatically. Prior to that time, all the couple had to do was to pronounce their vows before a clergyman of the Church of England. Heck, it did not even have to be one’s local clergyman or even one’s local church. In fact, the Fleet Street prison saw quite a few marriages in those days Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, book excerpts, book release, British history, customs and tradiitons, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, reading, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Scottish Marriages and Elopements in the Regency Era

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Those of us who read and write Regency novels have all heard of elopements to Gretna Green. Harking back to 1754 and the introduction of a new controversial Marriage Act in England, Gretna Green flourished as a haven for runaway … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, book excerpts, book release, British history, Church of England, eBooks, excerpt, Gretna Green, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, Regency era, romance, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Fleet Prison Marriages of the 1700s

Posted on June 10, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Marriage ceremonies associated with the Fleet Prison is London were many in the mid to late 1700s. It is estimated that in the 1740s over half of London’s marriage ceremonies took place in “marriage shops” surrounding the Fleet Prison. By … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, real life tales, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Questions on Age of Consent for Marriage During the Regency Era

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

I often receive questions from readers or new authors to historical romance regarding the legal age to marry during the Regency. Below are some of the questions I have received and my response. Perhaps it will help another writer or … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Church of England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Questions on Age of Consent for Marriage During the Regency Era

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: The Age of Consent to Marry in the Regency Period

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

During the Regency, despite what some authors may include within the story line, the age of consent for females was twenty-one, not twenty-five as some would lead the reader to believe. Although I do not know from where the idea … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Gretna Green, Living in the Regency, marriage licenses, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Mr. Darcy Is Too “Proud.” But Is Darcy the Only Character Who Is Too Proud in Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”?

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

As most of you are likely to realize by now, I am a “whole brained” individual, which means that although I adore the fine arts, I still possess a very analytical brain. You’ll find me solving word puzzles and sodokus … Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, excerpt, George Wickham, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, historical fiction, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, marriage customs, marriage licenses, Pride and Prejudice, Regency era, Regency romance, romance | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments