Replaced the index to marriage bonds in the years 1775-1779 with full details, so those 2,320 records are now instantly available, including 2 new bonds that we had missed the first time around.

Marriage bonds often provide ages, occupations, and place of residence for the bride and groom (and sometimes a parent of a minor) during a period when marriage registers did not provide that information. Please read the Marriage Bonds section of the Transcription Samples page for a description of what information is found in bonds, allegations, and associated documents, and how we present that information. Here are some samples:

•  2 Jan 1775 Joseph Proud (yeoman), age 22, of Sedgefield obtained a licence to marry Ann Beacroft, age 22, of Auckland St.Andrew, directed to Auckland St.Andrew
  Surety: George Sowler, printer, of New Elvet, Durham City
• 27 Dec 1779 Christopher Wilkinson (esquire), age 27, of St.Andrew, Newcastle-upon-Tyne obtained a licence to marry Mary Soulsby, age 22, of Ryton, directed to Ryton
  Surety: Isaac Cookson, esquire, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
  [Note: married 27 Dec at Ryton.]

Note that “age 21” generally means “21 and upwards” in these documents.

Marriage bonds cover the entire Diocese of Durham i.e. Durham, Northumberland, North Yorkshire. There are a few licences in our collection that were issued by the Diocese of York. Because bonds cover the whole diocese, there is no way to limit your search of bonds to a single district. If you select a district from the District menu, your selection will be ignored when the marriage bonds database is searched.