Marriage Licences

By: Stanley Merridew

Whilst at the Yorkshire Family History Fair a few years ago I was given a handwritten list of parties to marriage licences which were originally found within Otley parish registers.  These entries were not included in the Yorkshire Parish Register Society publication of Otley early registers.

A marriage licence only shows the intent to marry similar to the calling of banns.   A licence does not, as some believe, suggest those named were of the upper classes.  It could be purely that the parties were from differing parishes or that the bride was heavily pregnant.  Some non-conformist, especially Roman Catholics were against having their banns read out in the church so would choose this method.  As the licence shows the home parish of each party it can help with earlier research.  If the marriage took place it should be entered in the relevant parish register.

Here are those relevant to our area:

7 July 1732 Lic. to Bernard Bankes of Otley aged 38 yeoman & Isabella Stable of Kirkby Overblow wid. aged 30.

9 Dec 1732 Lic. to Richard Pollard of Horsforth par. of Guiseley aged 35 draper & Anne Ward of Calverley spr. aged 32.

27 Jan 1732/33 Lic. to George Trevelyan esq. of Otley aged 24 & Julia Calverley of same par. spr aged 19.

15 Feb 1732/33 Lic. to Thos. Bailey of par. Kirkby Overblow husbandman aged 41 & Mary Smyth of Guiseley wid. aged 35.

26 Dec 1737 Lic. to John Appleby of Battley aged above 23 & Hannah Mann of Otley aged above 19.

1 June 1738 Lic. to John Varley of this par. aged above 22 bach. & Jane Wynn of Guiseley aged above 23 spr. to marry at Otley.

2 Jul 1738 Lic. to Robert Hargreaves of Bingley aged 21 bachelor & Isabel Dibb of Otley aged above 21 spr. to be married at Bingley.

19 Aug 1738 Lic. to Wm Cordley of Otley aged above 21 bach. & Sarah Appleyard of Bradford aged above 19 spr. to be married at Bradford or Otley.

22 Oct 1738 Lic. to Ellis Cunliffe of Ilkley aged above 24 bach. & Eliz. Lister of Otley aged above 21 spr. to be married at Ilkley or Otley.

19 Aug 1739 Lic. to Andrew Findley of Skipton aged above 30 bach. & Anne Lowcocks of same aged above 22 spr. to be married at Broughton or chapel of Thornton.

 23 Feb 1739/40 Lic. to John Bankes of Otley aged above 20 bach. & Dorothy Margerison of same parish aged above 23 spr.

30 May 1740 Lic. to John Exley of Guiseley aged above 22 bach. & Sarah Ursley of same par. aged above 22 spr. to be married at Guiseley or Otley.

18 June 1740 Lic. to Wm Bowcock of Rothwell aged above 23 bach. & Mary Burkenshaw of same aged above 22 spr. to be married at Rothwell or Otley.

11 July 1740 Lic. to Abraham Nichols of Otley aged above 31 wdr. & Mary Jewet of Bradford aged above 28 wid. to be married at Bradford or Otley.

3 Aug 1740 Lic. to John Fothergill of Bedall aged above 42 wdr. & Jane Carr of Gargrave aged above 40 wid. to be married at Gargrave.

6 Aug 1740 Lic. to David Midgley of Bardsey aged above 30 bach. & Sarah Thackeray of same aged above 22 spr. to be married at Bardsey or Otley.

23 Aug 1740 Lic. to Thomas Twistleton of Giggleswick aged above 35 bach. & Isabella Burkit of Slaidburn aged above 26 spr. to be married at Slaidburn or Long Preston.

27 Aug 1740 Lic. to Richard Proctor of Burnsall aged above 29 bach. & Sarah Slinger of same aged above 30 spr. to be married at Burnsall or chapel at Connigston (sic).

27 Sept 1740 Lic. to Thomas Newsome of Otley aged above 30 wdr & Dorcas Dyneley of same aged above 25 wid to be married at Otley.

24 Feb 1740/41 Lic. to Christopher Marshall of Otley aged above 30 bach. & Jane Walker of same aged above 21 spr. To be married at Otley.

3 May 1741 Lic to Wm Lister of Addingham aged above 40 wdr. & Rosamund driver of Otley aged above 30 wid. To be married at Otley.

22 June 1741 Lic to Abra. Nichols of Otley aged above 30 wdr. & Martha Fletcher of Halifax aged above 30 wid. To be married at Otley.

24 Aug 1741 Lic. To Bullen Knight of Otley aged above 24 bach. & Anne Robinson of same aged above 22 spr. To be married at Adel. (note:returned by Lofthouse on 28 Sept 1741)

22 Sept 1741 Lic. To John Sugden of Halifax aged above 30 bach. & Eliz.Lister of Guiseley aged above 21 spr. To be married at Guiseley. (note:returned by Lofthouse on 28 Sept 1741)

29 Sept 1741 To Bernard Bankes of Otley aged above 25 bach. & Effan Rhodes of same aged above 18 spr. To be married at Otley.

20 Nov 1741 To John Waddington of Otley aged above 30 bach. & Anne Brook of same aged above 28 spr. To be married at Otley.

11 Jan 1741/42 Lic. to Edward Kitching of Guiseley aged above 40 bach. & Mary Metcalf of same aged above 25 spr. to be married at Guiseley.

12 Jan 1741/42 Lic. to James Blackburn of Guiseley aged above 24 bach. & Lydia Hutton of same aged above 21 spr. to be married at Guiseley or Otley.

5 Feb 1741/42 Lic. to John Stead of Ilkley aged above 25 bach. & Margaret Wharton of Otley aged above 24 spr. to be married at Ilkley or Otley.

5 Jul 1742 Lic. to Jeremiah Rhodes of Ilkley aged above 26 bach. & Mary Bradford of Otley aged above 21 spr. to be married at Otley.

17 Oct 1742 Lic. to Nathaniel Marshall of Guiseley aged above 24 bach. & Anne Tomson of same aged above 23 wid.  to be married at Guiseley.

23 Nov 1742 To John Kid of Linton aged above 35 bach. & Martha Hudson of Ilkley aged above 25 spr. to be married at Ilkley.

25 Nov 1742 George Rusworth of Ilkley aged above 35 bach. & Anne Thackeray of Otley aged above 30 wid. to be married at Otley.

30 Dec 1742 Lic. to Thomas Swaine of Guiseley aged above 26  bach. & Jane Foster of same aged above 24 spr. to be married at Guiseley or chapel at Baildon.

26 Jan 1742/43 To Joseph Walker of Otley aged above 23 bach. & Jane Armitage of same aged above 25 spr. to be married at Otley.

15 Feb 1742/43 Lic. to James Walton of Calverley aged above 22 bach. & Sarah Br___shaw of Otley aged above 21 spr. to be married at Otley.

19 Apr 1743 To Joshua Howden of Guiseley aged above 30 bach. & Elizabeth Cousins of same aged above 27 spr. to be married at Guiseley or Otley.

27 June 1743 To Thos Butler of Otley aged above 26 bach. & Anne Ward of Guiseley aged above 24 spr. to be married at Otley or Guiseley.   Returned per Mr Clapham with fees.

3 July 1743 To Samuel England of Weston aged above 30 bach. & Anne Dobson of Otley aged above 26 spr. to be married at Weston.

1 Aug 1743 To Edward Carter of Otley aged above 25 bach. & Martha Crabtree of Otley aged above 21 spr. to be married at Otley.