Oxfordshire Marriage Bonds 1634-1849

Each result will provide you with a transcript of the following information:

• First name(s)
• Last name
• Sex
• Marital condition – If an individual was widowed, it is noted here.
• Parish
• Year
• Spouse’s first name(s)
• Spouse’s last name
• Spouse’s parish
• County
• Country

The English county of Oxfordshire is located in the South East England region. If your ancestors are not found in this index, try searching in the marriage indexes for the other neighbouring counties located in the same region. These marriage indexes can be found in the Useful links and resources section.

This index pertains to records found on Donnette Stringham Smith’s website, Oxfordshire Archdeacon’s Marriage Bonds

Additional information on these records can be found on the source’s website.

Marriage bonds If a couple did not wish to marry by banns, they could, for a fee, obtain a marriage licence.

The marriage bond was made as an assurance that no legal impediment existed to prevent the marriage of the couple. This was required when a couple chose to marry by licence instead of by banns. The reading of the banns allowed for individuals to come forward with legal objections to the intended marriage, without that taking place, the bond served as a replacement means of assurance. A marriage bond would only need to be paid out if it was discovered that there was a legal reason the couple should not have been married.

The licence would be given to the minister officiating the marriage, and the bond would be given to the Archdeacon’s office.

• Start your search broadly. Search with name variants checked to ensure you don’t miss your ancestor.