Martham Marriage Bonds
Tucked away in the Norfolk Records Office are copies of nine Marriage Bonds (under ref: PD 710/29) that apply to marriages that took place at St Mary the Virgin, Martham.
A marriage bond is a type of guarantee that two people were legally available to marry each other. It was a pledge or guarantee, normally given by the groom, to a court affirming that there was no moral or legal reason why the couple could not be married and also that the groom would not change his mind. A marriage bond is legally distinct from a marriage licence or a marriage certificate, although all three types of records are used in genealogical research as evidence of marriage.
The date recorded in the marriage bond may not (and likely does not) match the actual date the marriage took place. Marriage bonds were often used by those wanting to circumvent a reading of the banns for the traditional three-week period. They were particularly popular during the 2nd World War when couples wanted to marry but the groom could not get sufficiently long leave to marry by banns.
If one of the parties was a minor (under 21) then parental permission was needed for the marriage and the bond includes details of the consent given by the parent(s). The nine local marriage bonds are for the following couples:-
- Robert Charles BROOK & Dorothy Gladys BROWN.
Robert was a carpenter’s labourer, aged 20, from Damgate, Martham and Dorothy was 21 also from Martham. As Robert was a minor the consent of his father John Brook was also recorded. The bond was dated 9th April 1945 and the couple were married at St Mary’s on 28th April.
- Charles William BROWN & Iris Rosina Maud SIMS.
Charles was 25 and Iris was 22 when they married. Charles worked with his father as a market gardener at Conyard Villa, Cess. Iris lived at Mustard Hyrn where her father was a well-known horse slaughterman. The bond was dated 8th July 1942 and they were married at St Mary’s on 13th July that year.
- James BROWN & Phyllis Louisa SMITH.
James was 28 and later in his life would go on to be a driving force behind the Martham Boat Building Co. Phyllis was 23, originally from Norwich and was born with the surname Groom but had adopted the surname of her stepfather. Their bond was dated 8th November 1937 and they married on 9th November at St Mary’s.
- Charles Redmond HODDS & Lily Elsie GOOSE.
Charles was 21 and a Private in the Royal Norfolk Regiment. He was from Winterton and Lily was 23 from Martham. The bond was dated 13th November 1940 and they were married at St Mary’s on 23rd November.
- Jack KERSHAW & Daisy Doreen WATSON.
When they married Jack was 23 and Daisy was 21. He was from Blackburn, Lancashire and when they married she was living at Gaze’s Terrace, Cess Road. Their bond was dated 3rd July 1944 and they were married at St Mary’s on 8th July.
- Henry Charles MOLL & Olive May UTTING.
Henry was 32 and Olive was 24 when they married. They were both from Martham. At the time of their marriage Henry was an agricultural labourer living at Hemsby Road and Olive lived with her parents at Cess. Their marriage bond was dated 13th May 1944 and they were married at St Mary’s on 18th May.
- Bernard John NICHOLLS & Rosemary Edith Kingsford BANNELL.
Bernard was 21 and from Shrewsbury and Rosemary was 18 from Martham. As Rosemary was a minor the consent of her parents Frederick & Marion Bannell were also recorded. Their bond was dated 8th June 1945 and they were married at St Mary’s on 11th June.
- Raymond John SAUNDERS & Dorothy May RICHMOND.
Raymond was originally from Llanelli in Carmarthenshire and he was a leading Air Craftsman in the RAF. He was 22 when he married Dorothy who was 21. Their marriage bond was dated 3rd August 1945 and they married at St Mary’s on 8th August.
- Ian Robert WILSON & Vera Jean HARRIS.
They were married in 1944. Ian was 22 and from Glasgow and Vera was a minor (19) and from Martham so the consent of her parents was also recorded. The bond was dated 21st December 1944 and they were married at St Mary’s on 23rd December.
