Marriage records are an essential tool for every family historian. But if you can't find a record of your ancestor's marriage, they may have married irregularly. In order to understand the nature and significance of irregular marriage records, we first need a little context as to what was required for a regular marriage.
From at least the 12th century, the celebration of marriages was governed by the Church of England's canon law. In 1604, the Church reiterated that all marriages in England and Wales
