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The following information is from The National Archives Registers of Clandestine Marriages and of Baptisms in the Fleet Prison, King's Bench Prison, the Mint and the May Fair Chapel.


Marriage registers from ceremonies conducted in and around the Fleet Prison in London, with many taking place in local taverns and coffee houses.
These so called 'marriage shops' could also be found in the grounds of the May Fair Chapel and the King's Bench prison and other centres such as the Holy Trinity, Minories and St. James, Dukes Place.
The ceremonies were conducted by individuals who had taken holy orders without licence who could legally marry two people at any time and at any place.
Although they ignored the official rules on using banns and licences the marriages were still legally valid.
This led to an increase in these so called 'irregular' or 'clandestine' marriages.
A marriage without banns or licence or conducted away from the parish of residence of both parties was considered 'clandestine' and a marriage that took place in one of the party's parishes without banns or licence, or away from the parish of either party by banns or licence was considered 'irregular'.
Whichever way was chosen, the union was in the eyes of the law a legally binding contract.
It is estimated that in the 1740s over half of London's marriages took place in 'marriage shops' with about 800,000 people named in the marriage records and about 2400 people mentioned in baptismal records.
Many nonconformists married in this manner often in their own meeting houses.

The authorities had lost control over the marriage registration process so the Lord Chancellor, Lord Hardwicke, pushed through much needed reforms.
The resultant Hardwicke Act of 1753 instantly closed the legal loopholes that allowed so many 'irregular' and 'clandestine' marriages to take place.
From 1754, the process of marriage registration became easier for the clergy with the introduction of well laid out pre-printed registers and for the first time in separate volumes.

The legislation stipulated that marriage must take place in a licensed Anglican parish church in the bride or bridegroom's own parish and be recorded in a special book with a numbered space for each entry, to prevent fraud.
Banns were read publicly on three separate Sundays, which allowed for objections to be raised possibly by parents of children under the age of 21 or previous spouses to call a halt to the proposed wedding.
The legislation also allowed marriage by licence in a different parish to that of the couple's residence.
The only exceptions allowed were for Quakers and Jews, so all other non conformists including Roman Catholics had to marry in an Anglican church.



This article is from  'A History of England' 


''One estimate suggests that there were between 70 and 100 clergymen working in the Fleet area between 1700 and 1753.
It was not merely a marriage centre for the criminals and poor, however: both rich and poor availed themselves of the opportunity to marry quickly or in secret.
During the 18th century, Fleet Prison was mainly used for debtors. 
It usually contained about 300 prisoners and their families.
At that time prisons were profit-making enterprises & prisoners had to pay for food and lodging. They were charged for turning keys or for taking irons off etc.'' 

Fleet prison had been in existence since the 13C  it was closed down in 1846.