Clandestine Marriage in Eighteenth-Century England
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | European History | History
Abstract (300 words maximum)
In this paper I will investigate the link between the concerns of the elite over the preservation of their material and political capital as it relates to the institution of marriage in eighteenth-century England. My initial research has yielded the term “clandestine” in reference to marriages performed outside the bounds of the Church of England. The Clandestine Marriage Act of 1753 will be the legislative grounding for my central question. Henry Gally, a priest in the Anglican tradition, intones the position of the Church in his 1750 publication titled: Some Considerations upon Clandestine Marriages. Gally favors a law that would suppress such marriages. The “Clandestine Marriages Act of 1753” followed shortly after Gally’s publication. This Act has formed the basis for historiography which both emphasizes and deemphasizes the impact of this legal intervention on the relationship between spouses (and between spouses of different socioeconomic backgrounds). Furthermore, I would like to explore how this subject played out in popular discourse. The London Magazine: Or, Gentleman’s Monthly Intelligencer touches on the subject of clandestine marriage and the means by which it ought to be suppressed. The magazine describes clandestine marriages in no uncertain terms: it was, in the eyes of the author, an evil worthy of legislative attention. Clandestine marriage also appears in popular fiction media. The ways in which plays and books make use of the concept may provide further insight into how the average citizen viewed relationships and marriage. Ultimately, this research question is important for what it may reveal about the relationship between classes, and between the public and the state.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - History & Philosophy
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Amy Dunagin
Clandestine Marriage in Eighteenth-Century England
In this paper I will investigate the link between the concerns of the elite over the preservation of their material and political capital as it relates to the institution of marriage in eighteenth-century England. My initial research has yielded the term “clandestine” in reference to marriages performed outside the bounds of the Church of England. The Clandestine Marriage Act of 1753 will be the legislative grounding for my central question. Henry Gally, a priest in the Anglican tradition, intones the position of the Church in his 1750 publication titled: Some Considerations upon Clandestine Marriages. Gally favors a law that would suppress such marriages. The “Clandestine Marriages Act of 1753” followed shortly after Gally’s publication. This Act has formed the basis for historiography which both emphasizes and deemphasizes the impact of this legal intervention on the relationship between spouses (and between spouses of different socioeconomic backgrounds). Furthermore, I would like to explore how this subject played out in popular discourse. The London Magazine: Or, Gentleman’s Monthly Intelligencer touches on the subject of clandestine marriage and the means by which it ought to be suppressed. The magazine describes clandestine marriages in no uncertain terms: it was, in the eyes of the author, an evil worthy of legislative attention. Clandestine marriage also appears in popular fiction media. The ways in which plays and books make use of the concept may provide further insight into how the average citizen viewed relationships and marriage. Ultimately, this research question is important for what it may reveal about the relationship between classes, and between the public and the state.